Her Final Fight
by xdolphinsmelodyx
Summary: Jenny had come to accept her inevitable death gracefully but when a new and dangerous threat suddenly surfaced, the Director had a difficult fight on her hands to guarantee her little girl's safety after she was gone. The only problem was, nobody knew of her dilemma. It was a completely one-woman fight - but was there any connection between her dilemma & Gibbs' team's latest case?
1. When It All Began

**Chapter 1: When It All Began**

Gibbs had known there was something wrong with her for quite a while, his suspicions were only confirmed when his old friend, Ducky, refused to name the latest 'John Doe' which had mysteriously popped up from a non-existent case.

Gibbs knew Ducky well, probably better than he knew himself, so he knew for a fact that the Director, Jenny Shepard, was the only person he'd ever stick his neck out for. He knew that she was the only person Ducky would ever risk his career over if it was ever _officially _discovered that he was using his access to medical equipment to do something personal.

Saying he was worried was a massive understatement and unfortunately, there were more indications he had seen lately that suggested not all was well with Director Shepard. Not only had she become ridiculously distant from him and the others but her behaviour had changed too… and he wasn't the only one who had noticed. Molly had too.

Every single day when Gibbs saw her, she would always mention to him that something was wrong with her Mommy and no matter how much he tried to convince her - and himself - there wasn't a problem, he knew she knew he was lying. She may have only been seven years old but she wasn't stupid.

Sat at his desk, leaning unmercifully on his hands, Gibbs' eyes soon picked up and then followed the said red-haired woman as she crossed the bullpen. With her head down, she simply continued on her way and headed up to her office, not even so much as a 'good morning'.

Noting her completely disappear on the upper level, Gibbs found himself sighing roughly to himself. His relationship with Jenny hadn't always been the smoothest, but they'd always been close. After she joined the agency as Director and introduced him to his unknown daughter, Molly, a couple of years ago, they soon rekindled their strong friendship and underlying love for one another. Whether it was sexual or not, which it _was _- or rather _had been _- made no difference to either of them. What they had, it worked for them. They both only looked at each other, silently committing to each other without a spoken declaration, and that was that. Perhaps that was why her sudden change in behaviour had been noticed by him so quickly… he knew her _that _well.

Ignoring the noise around him, mostly coming from DiNozzo as he terrorised his two fellow agents with his usual, daily antics, Gibbs stared down at his desk. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her off his mind. He needed to get through to her; he needed to show her he was there, not just for his sake but for Molly's too. She needed her mother back in the same way he needed his Jenny back… and as quickly as possible.

* * *

><p>Staring down at the pill-box in her hand, her mind far from understanding anything other than what it stood for, Director Shepard couldn't help but internally scream to herself. It all seemed so unfair. It's wasn't that she was unfit, in fact she'd always been very careful with her health, but then that damn thing came along and that was it. She was dying, and there was no power on God's earth that could change that.<p>

It hurt her to think of all the things in her daughter's life that she would miss: her graduation, her wedding, her children's births… All those things would be nothing more than bitter-sweet daydreams for her; all those details of Molly's life would be nothing more than figments of her slowly fading imagination. The only comfort she had was that Molly had Jethro. Through all of what Jenny knew was coming, at least Molly would have her Dad after she was gone…

Jenny didn't want anyone to see her suffer. That was why she hadn't told anyone of her condition. To be honest, if she'd have had her way, Ducky wouldn't even have known. The sympathetic looks she got off him now as they passed by were more than enough to make her feel worse. She really didn't want Jethro to wear that same look too every time he was around her.

Fishing out two pills before slamming them harshly against her tongue, Jenny begrudged the tiny white capsules as they made their way down her throat. They were just another harsh reminder that she wasn't dreaming. No matter how much she wished, she wasn't going to wake up one morning to discover it was just a bad nightmare. It was her unfair reality… and it was only going to get worse.

Grunting once the pills were long gone down her neck, the Director slammed back onto her chair, silently cursing the pain in her lower body the pills would soon be battling against. That too was just another reminder that her body would soon be overpowered by the incurable condition. She was going to die long before what she had expected to.

It was the sound of her office phone ringing that caught her attention. Looking towards it, she sighed to herself before reaching her tired arm towards it and bringing it to her ear to answer.

"Shepard." she introduced, releasing a breath as her secretary's voice responded.

"Director, I've got a Mr. Harold Banks on the phone for you." her secretary, Cynthia, informed her.

Frowning, Director Shepard automatically shuffled in her chair. Lifting her one leg and tucking it under her body, she shook her head to herself. She'd never even heard of a 'Harold Banks'.

"Is he a representative of someone?" she found herself asking, trying to recall who on earth this man could be. However, her chaotic thoughts just couldn't find any recollection of any Mr Banks, Harold or otherwise.

"I'm afraid I don't know." Cynthia confessed down the line, "The information he has for you is classified. I can do nothing more than patch him through."

Even more confused than before, Jenny continued to shake her head. Not only had she got absolutely no idea who the man was but the entire situation was very strange. For something to not even be allowed to be partially discussed on the phone with her secretary was a rarity. Surely that meant that whatever the man needed to tell her couldn't be said over a phone line either. If it truly was _classified,_surely either a MTAC feed or face-to-face meeting would have been more appropriate.

"Very well." she relented, too tired to get carried away by her concerns, "Put him through."

Waiting a moment as Cynthia did as requested, the Director listened intensely for the line to change.

"Director Shepard…" she introduced.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the bullpen, Gibbs' jumbled thoughts were soon interrupted by the shriek whistle of the phone sat before him. Dragging him harshly back to reality, the grey-haired agent reached for the device, grateful for the silence pulling it off the receiver caused.

"Gibbs." he gruffly introduced, soon hearing the near monotone voice of the man from Dispatch.

His call had near enough silenced the three people on his team, Agents DiNozzo, McGee and Officer David, all who were slowly already reaching for their gear. They'd been in the job long enough to know a call about that time a day was usually meant they were moments away from beginning an active case.

Like expected, Gibbs' famous order followed the moment he slammed the phone down.

"Gear up."

Gathering his things without even looking, his eyes glued firmly to his Boss, DiNozzo couldn't help himself from wondering the specific details Gibbs had just been given.

"What we got, Boss?" he queried, moving around his desk to head towards the elevator that Officer Ziva David was already stood by waiting for.

"Two marines have been shot downtown." he explained, joining the three of them as the elevator opened and allowed them all to step in.

"They dead, Boss?" McGee wondered.

"Not yet." Gibbs answered.

* * *

><p>With the crime scene in an abandoned warehouse being processed with a fine tooth-comb by Agents DiNozzo and McGee, Gibbs and Ziva found themselves down at the local hospital. One of their victims, 27 year old Romeo Barraclough, has been rather lucky compared to his friend, Dwayne Mulligan. Despite the fact he'd taken two bullets, he was surprisingly okay and awake, eager to help the pair with their investigation.<p>

"So what happened, Mr Barraclough?" Gibbs asked after their initial introductions.

"What can I say, sir?" he asked rhetorically, "Dwayne and I were just trying to protect our kids."

Gibbs found his face forming a frown. "Okay, now I'm lost." he confessed, "What have your children got to do with this?"

"It's… it's complicated, sir." he admitted.

Sighing to himself as his eyes met Ziva's, Gibbs fell against the chair behind him.

"Okay." he declared softly, "Take it from the beginning."

Nodding softly, Romeo took a moment which allowed Ziva to fall against the window overlooking the hospital corridor. She had a strong feeling it wasn't going to be a short story.

"About two months ago, Dwayne got a phone call from a man who called himself 'Harry'. The same day this Harry sent Dwayne an email filled with photos of his little girl… he'd been watching her for months." he begun to explain, "Dwayne came to me and told me he'd been told to pay $2 million to an offshore account or his little girl wouldn't be safe… and you know, Agent Gibbs. He's a Marine; he doesn't have _that_ kind of money."

"So he was being blackmailed?" Ziva tried to simplify, earning nothing but a nod from the man.

"He wasn't the only one…" Barraclough confessed, his head dropping, "About a month ago, _I_ got a call and email too. Turns out this Harry had been watching my twins, Levi and Ellie, for the past six months too… and I couldn't protect them from him."

Gibbs felt his lips tightening. "He wanted $2 mil. off you too?" he probed further.

Romeo nodded. "I… I couldn't afford that." he whispered, his eyes welling up as he spoke.

Gibbs sighed silently, leaning his elbows against his knees while Ziva spoke up.

"Why didn't you go to the police?" she enquired.

Barraclough gulped. "We knew he'd find out…" he explained, "We couldn't– _We wouldn't_ put the kids at that kind of risk…"

Gibbs briefly rubbed his nose with his knuckle, allowing Barraclough to turn back to face him.

"So what happened this morning?" he quizzed softly, aware the young marine was getting more and more distressed.

Sighing shakily, Barraclough met Gibbs' stare.

"Dw-Dwayne and I contacted _Harry _who agreed to meet us at the warehouse. We were gonna pay off what we could." Romeo began to explain, "Honestly, we just wanted him to back off and leave the kids alone. I mean, we'd mustered together 300K between us… That's pretty good for two marines."

"But not good when he asked for $4 mil." Gibbs trailed off slowly.

"No, sir." he agreed, "And-and we didn't expect him to be armed. We… we just gave him the money and asked him to leave the kids alone." his head dropped as his voice broke, "And he didn't like that."

Realising that was the point where the pair of them were likely shot, Gibbs pushed himself up off his legs into a sitting position.

"Did you see this 'Harry's' face?" he questioned.

Barraclough regretfully shook his head. "No." he confessed, "I went down first and missed actually seeing him. I mean, it was real dark in there, sir, and-and he was stood in the shadows… but I'd bet Dwayne saw him."

Feeling her heart drop, Ziva briefly shared a look with Gibbs before Romeo looked towards her.

"Do you know how he is?" the young man asked her, "Freya said she'd go and find out for me."

Understanding that he meant his wife, Gibbs kept his head down, looking at his notes as he stood up.

"I'm sure she'll let you know." he stated, seeing the said woman and two young children appear outside the room. _Right on time…_

Turning back to Romeo, Gibbs smiled. "Thank you, Mr Barraclough." he nodded.

"Catch that bastard, Agent Gibbs." he looked desperately towards the older man, "I don't doubt he wouldn't hurt any kids if his victims don't pay up."

Nodding adamantly, Gibbs silently promised the man he would do as requested while Ziva pushed herself up off the window she was leaning against.

"Oh, we will." Ziva swore, voicing the promise Gibbs shared, "Don't you worry."


	2. A Harsh Ending

**Chapter 2: A Harsh Ending**

A deep, raw anger was building within Gibbs after hearing the story from Romeo Barraclough. It deeply sickened him when people went after children, especially when they had intentions to do unspeakable things to them.

The moment he and Ziva left the said Marine's hospital room, Gibbs was immediately on his cell phone, his hand moving to automatically call a number he had learn by heart a long time ago.

"DiNozzo." he ordered gruffly down the phone, barely waiting enough time for the said agent to even answer his phone, "Tell me you got something."

"CCTV footage of a black SUV arriving outside the warehouse about ten minutes after Mulligan and Barraclough got there." the younger agent reported down the phone.

Gibbs felt his eyebrows shoot up. Tony may have not always been the most efficient and reliable of people but he was a damn good agent. When push came to shove, he had never really let him down.

"You got an image of the guy?" he enquired.

"Yep." Gibbs could practically feel the young man's smile, "All three of them."

Ziva saw Gibbs frown at a comment made by the caller on the other end of the line, a caller she guessed was DiNozzo.

"Three?" Gibbs quizzed.

"Yep." Tony repeated, "No idea who they all are but yeah… there're three of 'em. I'll get Abby to run them when she can."

Gibbs nodded, not as though DiNozzo could see that. "Tony, can you send 'em over?" he asked.

"Not as of yet, boss." he admitted, "We're still at the crime scene. It's a hell of a lot bigger than we initially realised… I suppose I could send Agent Mulcahey down with them."

Gibbs once again nodded, his free hand scratching at his hairline.

"You do that… Thanks Tony." Gibbs slammed his cell phone shut, abruptly ending the call

Tony just smiled. "No problemo, Boss."

* * *

><p>Stood outside of a private hospital room, looking through the glass window to see a marine in his early thirties lying paralysed in the bed, Gibbs couldn't stop the pang of sadness he felt flood his heart. Hooked up to a ventilator with his neck supported by a brace, the once-fit man had no chance of ever being able to move again. The three bullets to his spine had made sure of that.<p>

"I do not see why we have come down here." Ziva confessed in a hushed tone, her heart also being affected by the sight of the young man.

After all, he couldn't move; he couldn't speak; he couldn't even blink his open eyes. Even by some cruel twist of fate that he could see and understand what was going on around him, there was no hope. Ziva knew just as well as her boss that the young man wasn't going to live for much longer and sadly, that was a good thing.

"It is not like he can answer any questions." she continued while Gibbs looked through the glass, his attention mostly on the distraught woman and little girl at the man's bedside.

"You'd be surprised, Ziva." Gibbs finally spoke, briefly quirking his eyebrows at her before softly entering the room via the door to his right.

Acknowledging the long blonde-haired woman across the room, the one he had already spoken with earlier that day before he had been allowed to see her husband, Gibbs smiled incredibly weakly.

"Agent Gibbs, NCIS. We spoke on the phone." he introduced quietly, flashing his credentials, "This is Officer Ziva David."

The woman managed to nod through her tears.

"Danielle Mulligan, and this my daughter Sophie." she introduced, somehow managing to keep her tears in check as she looked down at her paralysed husband, "Is all this really necessary, Agent Gibbs?"

Stepping a little closer to the bed, Gibbs sighed.

"I promise it'll be quick." he swore, "I just want to ask a few questions then we'll be on our way."

Turning to the man in the bed and smiling softly, Gibbs made sure he was in the man's eye line.

"Hi there, Dwayne… I'm Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS." he introduced softly, his hand gripping the images Agent Mulcahey had printed and delivered to him not too long beforehand, "I'm just going to ask you a few questions and then show you a few pictures, okay?"

Ziva was curious, she definitely couldn't deny that. After all the training she had back with Mossad, training which had been designed to literally open up her mind to everything and anything possible, she still had absolutely no idea what Gibbs was planning to do.

"Right..." Gibbs began, looking intensely at the young marine's face, "Is your name Dwayne Mulligan?"

Stepping forward a little, even Danielle Mulligan was curious as to what the elder agent was doing with her husband. It wasn't as though he could answer…

"Good." smiled Gibbs after a moment, clearly having seen something Ziva had completely missed, "Right, do you have blonde hair?"

Feeling her face drop into a deep frown, Danielle stepped forward again.

"Agent Gibbs, what are you doing?" the young woman queried, confused as to why he had asked her husband such a blatantly strange – and incorrect – question. After all, it was quite clear her husband's hair was nothing but dark brown, the complete opposite of what Gibbs had just asked.

"I'm building up a baseline." Gibbs answered her softly, not taking his eyes off Dwayne's face, "And I've got it."

Ziva couldn't stop her curiosity getting the better of her that time.

"How?" she asked, soon stepping forward before looking between her boss and the paralysed man.

"Watch his eyes." Gibbs whispered, something both Ziva and Danielle turned around fully in order to do, "When he wants to say 'yes', his pupils dilate… if 'no', they remained fixed how they are."

Danielle felt her still-leaking eyes widen slightly.

"Amazing…" she muttered, sharply sniffing back so she could once again breathe through her nose.

Gibbs smiled softly at her, silently requesting her attention as he turned to face Dwayne.

"Is this lady here to my left your wife?" he asked the young marine, looking briefly towards Danielle as he spoke.

Right on cue, the three of them close enough noted the way Dwayne's pupils dilated, the action bringing Danielle's suppressed tears to the brink of breaking through. There her husband was, paralysed and without speech and yet able to communicate.

"I love you, Dwayne…" her voice broke as she spoke, "You know that, right?"

Again, the dilation of his pupils answered her question and with that she snapped, tears running wildly down her face. Tightly gripping her daughter as she partially moved away, unlike Gibbs and Ziva, she failed to notice a lone tear also escape Dwayne's eye, his emotions evident despite the fact he couldn't move. The action was enough to make Ziva move away slightly herself, her heart trembling in her chest. He was still in there… the man who he was before; he was trapped inside the cage of his broken body.

"And he loves you." Gibbs told Danielle in a whisper, "And Sophie."

Danielle somehow managed to see through her watery eyes when she looked back towards Gibbs.

"You… you can see that on his face?" she barely managed to whisper.

Gibbs sighed softly, nodding in response. Sometimes, little white lies didn't hurt anybody. However, he didn't need to see Dwayne's pupils move to know that… _his tears said it all._

Allowing Danielle to step away again, Gibbs turned back to Dwayne.

"Right, Mr Mulligan." he started, "I'm just going to ask you a few questions before I show you a few pictures."

Sitting casually on the edge of the marine's bed, allowing him to get a better view of both of the man's seemingly still eyes, Gibbs sighed.

"From what I gather, there were three people in the warehouse." he stated, "Is this correct?"

_Yes._

"Did you see the faces of all three?"

_Yes._

"Did all three speak at all?"

_No._

Were all three armed?"

_Yes._

"Did all three shoot?"

_No._

"How many of the three people shot at yourself and Romeo?" he began, "One?"

_Yes._

"Was it the same one who spoke to you?"

_Yes._

Mentally noting that detail, Gibbs looked back towards Dwayne.

"Romeo went down first, then you followed?" he continued, "Correct?"

_Yes._

"So, in total, there were five shots fired?"

_No._

Glancing briefly at Ziva, Gibbs felt his eyes widen a little. That wasn't the answer he had been expecting…

"Not five?" he had to clarify upon turning back to face him.

_No._

Leaning forward a little, Gibbs swiftly wet his drying lips.

"Six?"

_No._

"Seven?"

_Yes._

"Seven shots?" he asked to confirm.

_Yes._

"Were these other two shots fired towards yourself or Romeo?"

_No._

Sighing softly, Gibbs just continued to stare towards the man. He knew that that specific detail was one he couldn't get from Dwayne.

Climbing off the bed, Gibbs retrieved the three images of the men from the CCTV footage which were tucked behind his notebook.

"Right Dwayne." he began, "I'm just going to show you a couple of photos and then I'll be done. I promise."

Spreading the images out on the bed where he had just been sat, Gibbs lifted the first one and held it up in Dwayne's eye line.

"Is this the man who shot you?" he asked softly.

With no pupil movement, Gibbs nodded softly. _No…_

Mentally noting that and putting the first image down, Gibbs proceeded to pick up the next one.

Again, there was no movement from Dwayne's pupils. _No…_

Picking up the final image, Gibbs already suspecting he knew the answer, he brought it up to the marine's eye line. What happened next surprised all of them.

The picture had barely been seen by Dwayne for more than a millisecond before every alarm on his monitor started screaming a nasty chorus of alerts. He may have been paralysed but both his pupils had dilated so much, there was only a golden brown ring left of his iris, showing Gibbs just how strongly he was answering that particular silent question. If he had been able to, Gibbs knew he would have been screaming!

Gibbs was aware his heartbeat was raising dangerously fast, so much so that the doctors outside the room rapidly burst through the door. They were all but ready to swarm around the broken marine but Gibbs calmly signalled them to stop. He knew _exactly_what had caused that reaction from the young man.

Swiftly removing the image from Dwayne's eye line and flipping it over to take a look, Gibbs sighed.

"It's okay… it's okay." he calmly soothed over and over, pleasing the doctors and Dwayne's family when his heart monitor began to quieten down once the steady rhythm of his heartbeat returned.

Looking briefly towards Ziva, catching a pen she expertly threw towards him, Gibbs stared the image in the top corner. That was the bastard they were after…

The doctors remained in the room for a moment, silently requesting for Gibbs to leave the young marine be, something Gibbs would have been happy to do… after one more question.

Watching the doctors leave, the door closing softly behind them, Gibbs turned back to Dwayne.

"Just one more question, Dwayne." he promised, "Was that Harry?"

The man's pupil dilation said it all.

Looking rapidly between Gibbs and her husband, her arms tightly wrapped around her daughter, Danielle couldn't help but frown.

"Harry? Harry who?" she wanted to know, "Who's Harry?"

Sighing deeply, keeping his eyes fixed on Dwayne's, Gibbs saw one more tear fall down the man's face. _He was sorry…_and it wasn't a sign of weakness. In his case, it was a sign of his strength. Just like a marine was expected to be, he was being _always brave,_ right until the end.

"You were holding on just long enough to tell me that." he whispered mostly to himself, aware the nurse in the room was silencing Dwayne's heart monitor behind Danielle and Sophie's backs, "You rest now, Marine… Semper Fi."

Looking back at Gibbs, once again feeling her tears break through, Danielle swallowed a hard lump of air down her throat.

"What's… what's happening?" she asked desperately.

Stepping back as a sign of respect, Gibbs just shook his head.

"Nothing." he answered remorsefully, "I'm sorry, Mrs Mulligan. He's gone…"

Ziva felt herself struggling when she watched the Mulligan's break down, Danielle tightly holding Sophie as they both cried. However, part of her knew it was for the best. There was no way he'd have lived a good life stuck in that bed… that was a harsh ending for an amazing person.


	3. Treasured Moments

**Chapter 3: Treasured Moments**

Upon returning to the Navy Yard and therefore NCIS HQ, Gibbs soon noticed that DiNozzo and McGee still weren't back by the time he reached the bullpen. Leaving Ziva to put out a BOLO for the SUV seen in the CCTV footage, he began to head towards the forensic lab via the rear elevator. It was when he was inside there that he called DiNozzo on his cell.

The young agent had barely had time to answer his phone before his boss spoke.

"DiNozzo, where the hell are you?" he demanded to know.

"Still processing the warehouse, boss." he explained, "It's a pretty big place to canvas."

Sighing roughly down the phone, Gibbs slowly nodded to himself.

"How many shell-casings you found, DiNozzo?" he quizzed.

"None, boss." Tony confessed, "Looks like the killer policed his brass. If it weren't for the blood or crime scene tape, you wouldn't even know anything out of the ordinary has happened here."

_"DiNozzo, over here!"_ Gibbs heard McGee shout in the background of the call.

"I'll call you back, boss." Tony suddenly promised, ending the call just as Gibbs reached the floor of the forensic lab.

Stepping out as the doors opened, Gibbs glided across the empty hallway and into the lab. Part of him regretted not bringing down a Caf-Pow but if he learnt what he knew she was searching for, he was pretty sure even _she _would want to pass on it.

"What ya got, Abbs?" he queried, coming to a stop as she turned to the side to greet him with her usual, lipstick-painted smile.

"How's two out of three photo ID matches sound?" she raised her eyebrow and smirked as she physically signed the numbers with her hand as she spoke.

"I'd prefer three." Gibbs confessed after cocking his head to one side while she turned to face the screen.

"Nah-ah. No fair, Gibbs." she moaned, "Tony and McGee haven't even finished at the scene yet and I've got two out of three matches from the CCTV footage Mulcahey brought in. I'm good!" she clarified, pointing to herself before slamming her hands down on the keyboard and getting to work.

Missing his soft smile, Abby brought up the first image along with the ID file of the first man. The image which greeted them was on a rough looking man in his late-twenties. With slick black hair and piercing yellow eyes, he certainly looked like the one man from the CCTV footage.

"Meet Blair Smythe," she introduced to the awaiting agent, "And his stick of an associate, Reuben Caffery."

Abby hadn't been kidding when she had called him a stick. The ID image of the second man was a definite opposite of the first. Granted, his hair was dark but compared to the first, rough, muscular man, he was deadly thin with a slim, pale face.

"Good work, Abbs." he praised, leaning over to peck her awaiting cheek before grabbing his ringing cell phone out of his pocket.

Turning to head out the lab as he answered, Gibbs sighed quietly to himself.

"Yes, DiNozzo?" he enquired just as he stepped into the hallway.

"Found two of the three men." Tony reported.

"You got them? Well done, DiNozzo." he actually found himself congratulating the younger agent, "Abby's identified them from the CCTV so when you bring 'em in…"

"They're dead, boss." Tony swiftly interrupted, soon aware of the silence on the other end of the line, "Both shot once in the back of the head. Ducky's on his way out."

"They're dead?" Gibbs had to confirm, his eyebrows high on his face.

"Afraid so, boss." Tony replied.

Gibbs sighed. "Well, least that accounts for the other two bullets…" he said mostly to himself, pressing the button to call for the elevator harshly, "Thanks, DiNozzo."

The elevator pinged and doors opened just as Gibbs put his phone back in his pocket. Just as he was about to step inside, he heard a noise from Abby's computer in the lab behind him.

"Gibbs!" she called, immediately halting him in his tracks before he spun around on his heel and headed back into the lab he'd just left.

"Yes, Abby?" he questioned, returning back to the spot he'd been in only moments before.

"Got an ID on man number three." she smiled.

Turning back to the screen, very soon aware of the image of curly-haired 'Harry', Gibbs nodded silently. That was the ID he wanted to know above all others. After all, he'd killed a Marine, severely injured another and more than likely killed the two men DiNozzo and McGee had just found.

"Harold Lavigne." she identified, "Although, the amount of aliases he has would put all the Marvel heroes to shame… Seriously Gibbs, there's got to be at least twenty… Harry Banks, Harry the Kid, Harold Banks, Harold Lavigne…"

"Just _Harry…_" Gibbs spat between his gritted teeth.

Sighing roughly as Abby pulled Lavigne's file fully on the screen, Gibbs felt himself shudder.

"He's a registered paedophile wanted in seven countries on numerous accounts of child abuse, possession of indecent images of children, stalking, blackmail and murder." she continued, lowering the volume of her voice as she felt bile rise from her stomach to the back of her throat, "Bastard…"

Gibbs found himself recoiling at the thought. This man was targeting Marine families and blackmailing them because he was after their kids. That's why he asked for a ridiculously high amount of money… he knew they wouldn't be able to pay him. That alone made him understand both Barraclough and Mulligan's meeting with him, he knew he'd probably have done exactly the same to protect Molly. The only difference is that _he_ would have gone armed.

"I know, Abbs…" he trailed off, "Thanks."

* * *

><p>Director Shepard hadn't left her office all day. That wasn't really surprising anymore, the team hardly ever saw her out and about in NCIS, but her excuse that day was not her usual one.<p>

Sat at her desk, her mind not registering her fingers chewing off her fingernails, the Director was actually shaking. She had her reasons, of course, and she knew for a fact she wasn't going to share them… _she couldn't._

A light knock on the door before it swung fully open pulled Jenny out of her headspace, making her jump as she swiftly locked the computer screen on the desk before her. To make sure Jethro didn't find out, she'd do anything…

Her sudden movement was certainly noticed by the older agent as he softly closed the door behind him but he didn't bring it up. The majority of his attention was directed at noticing just how pale her once rosy cheeks looked, another indication not all was well with Director Shepard.

"What do you want, Jethro?" she ended up asking softly, physically unable to raise her voice high enough to make him leave. She didn't have the strength.

"Came to see if you were okay." he confessed, moving over towards the dark couch to her right, "Haven't spoke to you for a while, Jen…"

Leaning slowly back onto her chair, closing her eyes for a moment which only concerned him further, Jenny let her long, messy locks fall over her shoulders.

"How's the case going?" she quickly changed the subject of the conversation, "I heard one of the marine's didn't make it."

Gibbs shook his head, gently sitting himself down on the couch opposite the office door.

"Poor kid held on long enough to identify the shooter's face." he explained softly.

Jenny nodded softly, kicking her shoes off under her desk. "You identified them?" she found herself asking, "I'm right in saying 'them', aren't I? I swear I heard there were actually _three_ men involved…"

Gibbs sighed, nodding as he did so. "Two are dead." he explained, "Looks like the third one killed 'em after shooting at the two marines."

Jenny actually forced herself to sit up after hearing that, her frown evident on her face.

"Why would he kill his own men?" she had to ask.

Gibbs only shrugged his shoulders. "No idea." he confessed, "But the guy… he's a nasty piece of work, Jen."

"How so?" she wondered.

Gibbs visibly shuddered. "Registered paedophile, wanted in seven countries." he began to explain, "He targeted Mulligan and Barraclough to get to their kids."

Noticeably going white upon hearing the words, Jenny quickly looked away from him, her hands nervously messing with each other in her lap.

Sighing silently to himself, Gibbs didn't know what to make of it all. She wasn't acting like the Jenny he knew.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

Finally bringing herself to look back towards him, she automatically nodded.

"I'm fine." she insisted, an obvious lie that he easily picked up on.

"Come on, Jen…" he partially begged as he signalled for her to come over, "You can talk to me, ya know?"

Hesitating for a moment, her tired eyes slowly locked with his across the dimly lit room. With the darkness outside harshly invading through the window behind her, Jenny took in a deep breath before finally pushing her heavy body up off the chair and lazily making her way over. The moment she was near enough, she collapsed against him, making him discreetly bite his lip upon noticing just how light she had become all of a sudden.

It took no longer than a second for Gibbs to wrap his arms around her, supporting her as best he could as she shifted to lean her back against his chest. With her head resting on his shoulder, her darkening red hair falling down to one side and thereby exposing her neck to him, it wasn't long before Gibbs began to press soft kisses there, the gesture sending a warm feeling down her back. It was a nice change compared to the pain which had become her most dominant, daily companion lately.

Gibbs continued for a few moments, smiling against her skin as her right hand threaded its fingers with his. The kisses soon trailed off and he pulled his lips away, his hot breathe warming up the areas of skin his mouth had just left. With her eyes light closed and head still lightly resting against his shoulder, Gibbs untangled their fingers and let both of his hands softly trail up her dangerously thin body towards her ridiculously tense shoulders.

It wasn't long that a series of soft gasps began to escape her pale pink lips, each one caused by his needed attack to her knots. After all the years he'd known her, he couldn't remember a time she'd been so tense.

"Jesus, Jen…" he muttered through her hair.

Her suddenly vacant right hand somehow snaked its way up to her shoulder, landing softly against his calloused hand roughly kneading her shoulders and neck.

"It feels good…" were the only words that tumbled through her lips before his lips returned, that time to the back of her neck.

The feeling made an intense heat shoot down her spine, making her lips split into a tiny smile, something she hadn't done for quite a while. She loved the way he made her feel and she deeply treasured the moments they had together. After all, she knew there wouldn't be many others in the future, even if he didn't know that yet…

"Where… where's Molly?" she asked after a few moments once his hands had stilled, gently opening her eyes and rolling her head to face him.

"Ducky picked her up after school." he explained, "She's more than likely gone to bed to avoid his stories."

Sharing a laugh with him, Jenny turned in his arms so her side was leaning against his chest. She smiled warmly as the fingertips of one of his hands began to lightly dance up and down her spine while she just leant her hand against his chest. For a moment, she let herself get lost in feeling his healthy heartbeat beneath her fingertips, her teeth beginning to sink into her lip as a familiar sting began to make her face crumple.

_He was alive… his heart was beating._ She wondered exactly how long her own would still be doing that…

It was easy for Gibbs to notice her become tense again, something he would have questioned if she quickly hadn't quickly pushed herself up into a sitting position and turned to face him.

"I thought Ducky would have been doing the autopsies…" she confessed, her green eyes meeting with his properly for the first time all day.

Gibbs shook his head softly, bending his head up a little to kiss the centre of her forehead. _Of course she would return to talking about the case…_

"It was late by the time DiNozzo and McGee finally got back." he explained, "He's gonna do them first thing tomorrow."

Falling back against his chest, Jenny nodded softly against his light shirt.

"Fair enough." she whispered, smiling as he planted a couple more kisses in her hair.

_She was really going to miss him…_


	4. Looking the Part

**Chapter 4: Looking the Part**

It was rare that Gibbs drove legally. It was boring going as slow as the safely limits required. However, when Molly was in the car with him, he never had any intention of going even a kilometre over the limit. When she was in the car, her safety was the one and only thing he cared about.

Much like his late daughter Kelly, Molly had inherited his dark, chocolate-brown hair, not as though it was obvious since his original hair colour was long gone. However, the coincidence – not that he believed in them – did make him smile. It had turned out that both of his little girls had missed out on sharing the red hair both of their mothers' had had.

To be honest, Gibbs saw a lot of Kelly in Molly. Despite the fact they both had very different mothers; the pair of them at the age of seven looked identical. Some days, it actually took him longer than it should have to realise that Molly wasn't in fact Kelly. Nevertheless, he loved her immensely and he honestly knew he would have killed to keep her safe.

Glancing over towards the little girl sat in the front passenger seat, a proud smile gracing his lips, Gibbs could only laugh as she continued with her story.

"Honestly Daddy, I do like Ducky." she assured him, "But even _I've _heard half of those stories he told me last night… and I've known him for years!"

Laughing at the little girl's rant, silently agreeing with what she was saying, Gibbs just shook his head as he followed behind the ridiculously slow car in front. However, he had to deal with it since it _was actually _travelling at the legal limit.

"Daddy?" Molly piped up after a few moments of silence, "What can I do for my birthday?"

Gibbs couldn't suppress the smile which took over his face then, a small chuckle following.

"It's not until next month, Mol." he pointed out.

"I know." she guaranteed, nodding her head which made her long, loose hair a little wild, "But I want to plan something to make Mommy happy. She doesn't smile much anymore…"

Once again, Gibbs found himself silently agreeing with his daughter's statement. Like he had always known, she wasn't stupid. Just like all children did, she soaked up everything happening around her like a sponge.

"Well, what do you want to do?" he asked, "You tell me…"

It wasn't long before Gibbs pulled up outside Molly's school, soon ending their discussion of her birthday plans. Watching his daughter exit the vehicle after kissing him goodbye, she then ran over to the awaiting teacher taking the early arrivals into the school's breakfast club. It wasn't that Molly _ever _left the house without either him or Jenny making sure she had had breakfast but the only way either of them would ever get to work on time was to send her there in the mornings.

Meanwhile, in the NCIS Director's office, Jenny was near to the verge of tears. Bizarrely, for the first time in ages, it wasn't due to the pain in her lower body. Instead it was due to the hundreds of images she had received via email the day before. She'd only looked through about twenty of them but each one of them had scared her enough.

Glancing down at a telephone number she'd written on the back of an old, tatted post-it note, Director Shepard released a shaky breath. _She had one shot…_

Reaching for the phone, her hand quivering as she tapped in the number, Jenny brought the cold device to her ear. Jethro had always said she was good at playing a politician, now was the time she needed to channel that part of her.

"Ah, Director Shepard." she heard his sleazy voice greet down the line after a few moments, "A very good morning to you. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, swell." she shot back, all hints of her fear gone from her voice despite that being completely untrue, "Do you want this money or not?"

She could actually hear the surprise in his voice. "You… you can't have got it all already?" he stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm the Director of a Federal Agency." she pointed out flatly, "I have my ways."

Sighing down the line, the man popped his lips. "Well, once you send it to the account I specified," he began, "You'll never hear from me again."

Jenny leant against her desk. "Oh, no." she muttered strongly down the line, "If you want it, you meet me. Face-to-face." her tone was adamant, "I want to know the bastard who threatened my little girl _personally._"

Jenny actually rolled her eyes the moment she heard him laugh down the line.

"And here I was thinking you wanted to meet up for a glass of champagne or two…" he spoke.

"We can do that." she stated matter-of-factly.

She actually couldn't believe she was voluntarily agreeing to meet with him but one way or another, she had to get him. There was no way in hell she was going to let her daughter be in harm's way, especially since she knew that soon she wouldn't be able to protect her.

The line was quiet for a few moments. "Okay." he finally agreed, "Okay, I'll humour you, but I have two conditions."

"Name them." she demanded surprisingly calmly.

"You come alone." he put forward.

"Sorted." she responded, "The other?"

"No weapons." he finished.

Jenny raised her eyebrow. "As long as that applies to you to." she conditioned.

"Seems only fair." he agreed, "Shall we say two o'clock at The Marigold Hotel…? Until then, Director."

The line cut off abruptly, making Jenny slam the phone down rather hard against the receiver.

"Bastard." she swore, soothing her already throbbing temple_. _

_It was going to be a long day…_

* * *

><p>Autopsy, just like it was all the time, was noticeably cold when Gibbs stepped into the room. Ignoring the chill, he soon spotted Ducky hard at work with the one individual's from the crime scene, one he soon recognised as Reuben Caffery when he came to a stop at the table.<p>

"Jethro." Ducky acknowledged, something Gibbs only nodded in response at.

"What ya got, Duck?" he automatically questioned, looking over the man's pale, covered up body which lay before him.

"Well, unlike poor Mr Mulligan over there," Ducky gestured towards the deceased marine on the furthest table from the pair, "These two certainly went down quickly. Out of the two of them, Mr Smythe seems to be the only one of them who has slight defensive wounds… This man has no noticeable ones."

Gibbs nodded slowly. "So… _Caffery_ went down first, Smythe tried to defend himself then went down himself?" he suggested, receiving only a nod from the ME, "And cause of death?"

Ducky partially rolled Caffery's body over in order to point out the hole in the back of the young man's head.

"Both had one bullet directly to the top of the spinal cord." Ducky reported, "They'd have died instantly."

Gibbs nodded. "And the bullets used?" he queried.

Ducky sighed. "I pulled three out of Mulligan's spine and one from each of these two men, all of the same calibre." he explained, "I've sent them up to Abby. I know she won't be able to get a match since no weapon has been found but she may be able to identify the _type_ of weapon used."

Gibbs nodded once again, already turning to leave.

"Thanks, Duck."

Ducky paused, looking directly towards the exiting agent.

"Jethro." he called, making Gibbs stop and turn back to face him, "This attack was carried out quickly and with extreme precision. Your killer most certainly knows what he's doing…"

"Yeah, I know…" Gibbs trailed off slowly, "Thanks, Duck."

And with that, he left, leaving the good old Scottish doctor to his work as he stepped back into the elevator.

As the doors closed him in, Gibbs sighed roughly to himself, his hands rubbing his face harshly. It was almost lunchtime yet he couldn't think of anything worse than going to eat. Even the idea of coffee was out of the question for the moment. He wanted Lavigne caught so badly it was actually painful. Not only would that guarantee that all the local children were safe but it also meant that every other innocent victim of his disgusting past would finally get a portion of the justice they deserved. With what they had on him, there's no way he wouldn't go down for life.

It actually took Gibbs a few moments to realise the elevator wasn't moving. Slamming his hand against the button for what he thought was the bullpen, arriving on the floor above the desired area made him full on roll his eyes.

At that point, any normal person would have pressed the button for the floor below and continued. However, Gibbs wasn't exactly _normal._

Stepping out and letting the elevator doors close behind him, he was more than prepared to head down the stairs to the bullpen he was looking down at. However, then his mind turned to Jenny, or more specifically how she had been the night before. Pale, tense, upset… all things she had hardly ever been until recently.

Letting his concern get the better of him, Gibbs completely bypassed the stairs in order to go to her office. He supposed a quick visit wouldn't hurt.

Completely bypassing Cynthia's empty desk, Gibbs failed to knock the door and like usual, just barged in. He soon spotted the red-haired woman, wide-eyed and quickly putting her registered handheld back in her desk draw due to his sudden appearance.

Frowning a little, Gibbs couldn't help but notice the attire she was wearing. It certainly wasn't her usual skirt, blouse, blazer and heels; it was a dark, elegant sapphire blue evening dress, the one he knew she kept in her office for emergency dinners she was invited to without much notice.

Within a second of him entering the room, she was already wrapping a long, black duffel coat around her extremely lean figure, doing her best to hide herself - or more specifically her dress - from him. _Too late._

With her hair clipped up and large silver earrings dangling from both ears, for a moment he didn't see _her, _not Director Shepard. Instead, he saw the Jenny he had met back in the days of undercover assignments and false identities, the days where they were whoever the needed to be in the daytime and each others at night-time. In that moment, she was Agent Shepard, _Probie _Shepard, the woman who he had fallen in love with…

"Going somewhere?" he finally managed to ask, raising one eyebrow as she pulled out her earrings in a futile attempt to hide them in the black coat's pocket.

"What are you doing here, Jethro?" she almost cried, "Don't you _ever_ knock?!"

He shook his head. "No." he answered simply, still looked at her tiny frame before lifting his head to see her make-up painted face, "Where you off to?"

Rolling her eyes but easily relenting, Jenny leant forwards against the back of her desk chair.

"I have a _meeting._" she answered, clearly keeping the details brief.

Gibbs felt his brow drop. "Didn't know you had a meeting today." he confessed.

Jenny rolled her eyes once again, smirking incredibly softly as she did so.

"I don't have to tell you everything, Jethro." she said coolly, turning her back on him in order to tighten the coat's belt around her body.

Actually scoffing as his lips curled up slightly in the corners, Gibbs nodded to himself.

"Well, ain't that the truth…" he trailed off.


	5. The Last Time

**Chapter 5: The Last Time**

Jenny felt her eyes tighten the moment her brain registered his words, words which had felt like bitter salt sinking into a fresh, raw wound. Spinning rapidly on her heels, somehow managing to remain balanced on the thin stiletto-like heels, the red head couldn't stop the immediate, unintentional stare she shot at him.

"And what the hell is _that _supposed to mean?" she questioned sharply, Gibbs soon realising he'd struck a chord.

Keeping his cool, he half-heartedly shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, come on Jenny." he tried his best not to roll his eyes, "I know full well you're keeping something from me… Believe it or not, I'm not stupid."

Jenny faked a laugh which if Gibbs hadn't have known he was right; it would have been very convincing.

"What are you even on about, Jethro?" she began, effortlessly trying to brush it all off as she edged around her desk and ultimately getting closer towards him, "Stop trying to see things which aren't there."

Jenny had expected his response to be just as loud as hers so to see him remain silent for a moment; it pulled massively on her aching heart.

"I'm worried about you, Jen." he confessed in a hushed tone, a tone which caused a gulp to force its way down her neck.

Jenny shook her head softly. "You've got nothing to be worried about." she promised, doing her best to keep up her lies.

Gibbs simply shook his head, edging closer to her until he was close enough to feel her ragged breathing.

"I know Jen…" he barely spoke, his words making her strong front falter, "I know something's wrong."

Gulping as she dropped her head, she was only able to shake it from side to side.

"You're wrong…" she trailed off.

Feeling the edge of his index finger lightly lift her chin, Gibbs only raised his eyebrow before dropping his face forward a little once their eyes met.

"Really…?" there was a hint of a subtle smirk on his lips. _He knew… _"Do you honestly think, after _everything _we've been through, I don't _know_ you?"

Jenny remained silent, his words etching deeper into the burden she was failing to still keep hidden beneath the surface. How was it that one man had that much power over her?

"I know Jen." he repeated, his voice still soft.

Jenny felt her teeth noticeably sink into her lip.

"How…?" was all she could muster, the silent confirmation enough to make Gibbs' heart hammer in chest a little harder than before.

He shook his head, his heavier breath beginning to mingle with hers as he bent his neck and closed the distance between their faces just a little bit more.

"I've noticed _little things…_for a while now," he sighed deeply, "And I'm not the only one." he assured her, "Molly has too."

Jenny felt a harsh lump of air building up at the back of her throat, making it that little bit more difficult for her to breathe steadily.

"Mol-Molly?" she found herself stuttering.

Gibbs nodded. "She's a bright kid, Jen… just like her mother." he pointed out, knowing full well she knew that, "She knows just like I do that you've changed recently. She told me, just this morning that you don't _smile _as much anymore… and she's right." he bit into his lip, his shoulders lightly dropping back into place after having shrugged at his final few words.

Jenny felt her eyes begin to water, briefly looking away from him in fear of breaking if she allowed his eyes probe hers any longer. She had decided not to tell anyone about her condition in order to keep life as normal as possible and instead, she'd made it worse.

"So what's wrong with you?" Gibbs finally asked, his eyes locking desperately with hers when her face returned, "_Please…_ I know Ducky knows, and he won't tell me."

She was torn, torn between what to do. A large part of her still didn't want to tell him; she didn't want him to worry about her. However, the other part of her wanted nothing more than to answer his request. It really was a catch twenty-two. Should she let him worry over the unknown or the harsh fact of her illness? Neither option really sounded that appealing.

She stood there for a few moments, aware her meeting with Banks was rapidly approaching. She hadn't got time to deal with Gibbs yet; she hadn't got the free time needed to give him the conversation he deserved. He deserved to have a proper sit-down with her, a chance to be told of the harsh truth in the comfort of his own home, not from a passing comment made in a rush before she abandoned him in her office.

Despite her desire to put him out of his misery, the approaching meeting was the most important thing on her to-do list. Once she knew he was dealt with and she could therefore guarantee Molly's safety, only then would she be able to rest happily; only then would she finally be comfortable knowing the people she loved would be safe after her nearing death. That was something which, if everything went to plan, would be achieved by that evening.

"Okay…" she finally agreed, her voice so quiet Gibbs struggled to hear her at first, "Okay, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything… _tonight._"

Gibbs felt his teeth sink into his lip, ignoring his better judgement and bringing his hand to her cheek while he released a shaky breath and leant his cold forehead against hers.

"Jenny…" he near enough begged.

"Jethro." she countered, leaning into his palm as she tangled his free hand with her own, "I _need _to go to this meeting but I promise you, once it's all sorted, I'll tell you." she swore, "On my life, on _Molly's _life… I promise I'll tell you everything tonight."

Closing his eyes as he continued to lean against her rather warm forehead, Gibbs untangled his fingers from hers and proceeded to wrap his hands around her tiny waist. He knew that was the best he was going to get from her. _An agreement was certainly a step in the right direction._

"Okay." he agreed, slowly opening his eyes just in time to catch sight of a lone tear falling down her face.

Immediately bringing his thumb up to catch it, gently wiping it away, Gibbs could do nothing but shake his head as he pulled his face away from hers a little. His once strong Jenny was hurting over something, a pain he couldn't do anything about… Whether it was physical or mental, he didn't know. Perhaps it would all become clearer that evening.

Gently rubbing her cheekbone with his thumb, watching her heavy eyelids drop slowly as he left the remains of her tear on her skin, Gibbs lightly rubbed his nose against hers.

"Jen, what's the matter?" he questioned softly, his voice making her feel like she was floating.

Wrapping her cold hands tightly around the back of his neck, holding onto him like he was the only thing on Earth what could possibly support her, Jenny released a sudden, broken sob.

"Jethro, kiss me." she pleaded, immediately shuffling her hips in his hands, "Kiss me like it's the last time you'll ever do it…"

Her words stabbed him directly in the heart, forcing him to grow more and more concerned by every passing moment. It wasn't like her, it wasn't like Jenny; it wasn't like her to be so desperate.

"Jenny…" he trailed off.

"Please." she interrupted, her nose nudging at his.

Not wanting to question why she was the way she was, sensing her need was as raw as it was rare, Gibbs had no hesitation in doing as requested.

Their lips crashed together; gentle only for the time it took Jenny to realise he was actually doing it. Then it became much more powerful.

He wasn't forceful, he wasn't rough, but he was strong enough for it to register… _it was actually happening. _She wanted more, that she couldn't deny. However, she contained herself to that extent. She knew and respected the fact the pair of them had agreed a long time ago that any kind of intimate behaviour always remained outside of the office.

To be honest, she was surprised they were even kissing as passionately as they were. That alone was nearing the silent limit they had agreed on. Therefore, she honestly couldn't contain her surprise when she felt Gibbs make the first move, tightening his grip on her hips to a point which she knew would leave bruises in the morning. He then pulled away from her lips, trailing soft kisses down her neck which resulting in the first gasp from her.

Using the break to allow herself to breathe, Jenny only tightened her grip around the back of his neck when he gently began lifting her. Both her dress and coat slid up her delicate legs rather gracefully as they wrapped around his waist and soon the pair of them gently tumbled towards the door behind, Jenny's back hitting it with a soft thud.

Gibbs' lips took no time in returning to hers, advancing to exchange in a rough kiss which forced her lips to part. His tongue easily dominated over hers, not surprising really since she was more focused on locking the door behind her. Only when that was done did she let her hands return back to him, that time gripping his shoulders to get as close to him as humanly possible.

With a simple tug on her coat belt, the black mass of material delicately fell around her, exposing her lean figure to him. With one simple movement, his lips never even leaving hers for a second, he slid it off her still noticeably tense shoulders, letting it fall softly to the ground.

It was Jenny's turn then to break the kiss, needing the chance to gasp for air. It was that which allowed Gibbs to change his tactics, moving his focus to remove the thin layers of fabric which were still separating them.

Jenny didn't have the energy, or the willpower, to unbutton Gibbs' shirt buttons. No matter how much she wanted this; no matter how much she wanted it to last forever, she knew she needed to be quick. That was why she immediately moved to his belt.

It wasn't long before they finally got what they both wanted, Jenny moaning as he gently and yet powerfully entered her. Every thrust brought tears to her eyes, not from pain or being held uncomfortably against the door, from the harsh fact that she knew it could easily be her last time, _their _last time…

When it came to an end, her world shattering wonderfully around her, Jenny couldn't stop herself from smiling as his arms kept her tightly in place. He may have not said it, his words lost in his pants for air, but she was his.

The entire experience had certainly been new, and Jenny was certainly not complaining. It hadn't just been what she had wanted; it had been what she had needed. She had needed to feel him; she had needed him to give her just one more time like that before it all changed. After all, she knew that after she told him about her condition later that night, nothing would ever be the same again… he'd become just how Ducky was around her already: sympathetic, compassionate, always having that look in his eye that knew that everything she did could possibly be her last.

Somehow the pair of them ended up on the couch, Jenny leaning her head against his shoulder while he just held her close. Occasionally, his hand trailed lightly down her bare arms, treasuring the moments they had while regaining their normal breathing rates.

It had only been minutes before Jenny finally pushed away, physically so softly it hardly registered but her heart had never been heavier.

"I have to go…" she barely spoke, only receiving a soft smile as an initial response.

Gibbs' head barely moved as he nodded, bringing his thumb up to stroke her cheekbone.

"I know." he confessed equally as soft, feeling her momentarily lean into his hand, the one he was gently moving to cup her cheek.

Somehow, Jenny managed to remain in control of her tears as she slowly turned her head in his hand in order to kiss his palm.

"I… I love you, Jethro…" her voice was shaking.

She hadn't really expected anything to happen. In fact, part of her expected that declaration to be just as awkward as the time she had accidentally said it to him for the first time back in Paris all those years ago.

To be honest, if the circumstances had been different, she wouldn't have said it. However, like with many things, Jenny was tired of waiting, especially since she knew everyday which past meant she was rapidly getting closer to her last. She just needed to say it; time was one luxury she didn't have the chance to waste anymore.

The little air that was available in her lungs was swiftly removed by his lips crashing back to hers, his hands tightening around her upper back which made her moan into his mouth. _That was his silent response. _

Pulling away when Jenny was in need of air, Gibbs only moved far enough to make a gap, leaving their noses touching.

"And I love you." he whispered, pecking her lips to emphasise it, "You know that."

Jenny both nodded at him and gulped back the sting in her throat. _That night certainly wasn't going to be easy…_

"Jethro, I have to go." she repeated, actually pushing herself hard enough to fall back onto her feet.

His eyes never left her as she slipped back into her heels and coat which had still been lying on the floor. She quickly smoothed out her dress before tying the belt back around herself and double-checking her hair.

Going around her desk and opening one of the draws, positioning herself perfectly so she blocked his view to see what she was getting out, Gibbs felt his eyebrow rise slowly. He wasn't an idiot; he knew that one of the two items she'd just quickly hidden under her coat was her handheld.

"I'll see you tonight." she promised as she pulled the door open, not looking at him as she spoke.

Gibbs only nodded, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as she slipped out of the door.

_Why did he have a feeling that her 'meeting' wasn't going to be one recorded in her diary?_


	6. Meeting the Monster

**Chapter 6: Meeting the Monster**

A chorus of annoyingly loud keyboards being beaten were what registered in Gibbs' ears the moment he headed down to the bullpen, his feet automatically missing every other step on the way down.

"Tell me you've got something." he may as well have threatened; his tone making the eyes of each of his team widen as they frantically looked towards their computer screens.

"Got Lavigne's last known address…" DiNozzo piped up, his eyes scanning through the data scrolling up his monitor, "But it's from five years ago."

Gibbs couldn't help but roll his eyes, not at DiNozzo, just at the fact. Just once he wanted it to be easy.

"There's a shock." he tried not to be his usual, sarcastic self but that failed miserably, "Any hits on the BOLO?" he questioned Ziva, taking a standing position behind his desk.

A sharp sigh escaped the Mossad-liaison officer's mouth. "None." she confessed dryly.

"I got something, Boss." McGee hurriedly reported, soon capturing the attention of the rest of the team, "Common location of the two dead men's burn cells. Could be one of Lavigne's bases…"

Grabbing his weapon without so much as a second thought, Gibbs' swift movement made the other three members of his team mirror the action.

"Best place to start." Gibbs pointed out, "Let's go!"

Unlike usual, Gibbs didn't lead the way to the elevator, he let Ziva and McGee do that, however; the fact he held back wasn't noticed since they all moved so quickly. The only indication was when Ziva and McGee reached the opening elevator, Tony felt himself be swiftly pulled back towards his boss.

"Whoa…" he muttered, soon refraining from talking what Gibbs would class as gibberish when he saw the said agent's almost cold-looking stare, "Problem, boss?"

Gibbs sighed. "Take it you saw the Director leave?" he queried, making Tony frown momentarily.

"Well… yeah." he answered.

Nodding, DiNozzo was subtle as he shifted on the spot, their unbroken stare making him feel very uncomfortable. He couldn't think of any reason why he would be in trouble with his boss. He certainly hadn't felt the usual head slap but there must have been a reason why his boss was acting the way he was.

"I want you to follow her DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered quietly, "Find out what she's up to."

Tony felt the air quickly leave his lungs, his eyes widening in the process. His mouth did drop momentarily, something he quickly corrected when he saw just how solemn Gibbs' expression was. _He was serious._

"No… No offence, boss." Tony assured the silent agent, "But, are you mad?! This is the _Director _were on about. She'd fire me if…"

Gibbs raised his one eyebrow, silently understanding the agent's hesitation.

"DiNozzo, _I'll _fire you if you don't do this." he warned him, making the younger man visibly bite his lip.

He'd never had, or even wanted to ever disobey Gibbs before. He had way too much respect for the man to ever do that. However, his most recent order was desperately worrying him. It most certainly wouldn't end well whichever way he looked at it from… If the Director caught him following her, he'd have one hell of a job of trying to explain to her what he was doing without dropping either himself or Gibbs into trouble but if he disobeyed Gibbs, he'd be lucky if he only managed to get an hourly head-slap for the rest of his considerably shorter life. Neither option was really appealing to him.

It was Gibbs' loud sigh which brought Tony back to reality after getting lost deep within his thoughts.

"Tony, please…" he actually begged, "I'm worried about her."

In a swift second, in the time it took his brow to crease and form a deep frown, Tony felt his worries drain away, all being quickly replaced by nothing other than concern and dread. Gibbs just said _please… _Gibbs **_never_** said please.

"Boss, is she in some kind of trouble?" he asked suddenly, already silently deciding he was doing nothing other than what Gibbs had requested, even if he didn't know it yet.

"I don't know." Gibbs answered truthfully, aware Tony was subconsciously ready to go, "But let's just put it this way," he continued, walking towards the elevator with Tony following closely behind, "I wouldn't go unarmed if I were you."

Breathing out a rough sigh as Gibbs entered the elevator and allowed the doors to close on him, Tony glanced towards the weapon in his holster. Whatever kind of trouble Gibbs suspected the Director was in, whatever was happening; he hoped to God it wouldn't be serious enough for him to have to use it. However, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling which had suddenly appeared in his stomach.

* * *

><p>Glancing up at the five-star hotel she had just arrived at through the black-tinted window of her car, Jenny calmly awaited the arrival of an extremely overpaid employee to open her door and assist her out.<p>

She had always hated such fancy places. They always reminded her of work since she only ever went there for meetings with other agency Directors, ones usually more interested in discussing the history of the wine on offer than actual business. In her opinion, five-star hotels were ones where she had look and dress the part, mainly dress up in a one-of-a-kind dress which would only to be worn once, just to eat a meal where she couldn't eat more than one forkful of anything since she never knew what the meal consisted of before it was put before her.

Playing the part, Director Shepard acknowledged the man who came to her assistance by taking his hand and allowing him to aid her out of the back seat of the car. Standing on the marble pathway, aware the car behind her was being driven away; she allowed her eyes to glance up at the building towering above her. Little did the people inside know exactly what was about go down inside the four walls.

Elegantly rolling back her shoulders, the soft movement making the silk dress and black coat fitted around her body fall perfectly around her frame, Jenny silently took in a deep breath.

She began to make the small journey towards the main entrance up ahead, the two silver earrings dancing softly against her skin. Lightly tugging on the belt of her coat, she let the heavier material fall to the side of her body as she entered through the doors. Her heart was beating rapidly as she took a few steps inside into the marble lobby. It was like something she had seen in a film, complete with the massive crystal chandelier above and large water fountain in the middle of the open space. She couldn't deny that it was beautiful but beauty isn't what she had come for.

She had barely reached the fountain by the time her cell phone began to sound, the shrill whistle easily drowned out by the strangely quiet ambiance from the surroundings. If any of the ridiculously dressed up people around her did notice anything strange about her behaviour, they didn't show it.

With a soft smile so her body language didn't attract any unwanted attention, her old undercover skills surfacing with ease, Jenny lightly brought the device to her ear.

"Director." she heard his cynical greeting, a courtesy she had no intention of returning except for in the same tone.

"_Mr Banks…_ I take it you can see me?" she smiled equally as cynically as her tone.

"You assume correctly." his snarky voice filled the line, his smirk practically visible in her mind, "Come up to the penthouse on the top floor. I took the liberty of paying for a room for two."

Rolling her eyes as her feet began to move, her heels echoing against the marble floor as she walked, Jenny soon spotted the nearest elevator.

"The penthouse? _How considerate_." she sneered, her determined feet soon reaching the ridiculously large glass box. It turns out normal, metal elevators just weren't good enough for five-star hotels.

Once inside, she let her trembling fingers press the button for the penthouse on the 40th floor. As soon as the doors had closed and the elevator began to move, she did find them unintentionally skimming over the hidden weapon strapped around her thigh. Her her coat did hide the firearm expertly well as well as the small yet heavy envelope in her coat pocket.

There really was no turning back now. Well, there was but she had no intention to. Molly's safety came before anything else.

"I take it you're alone?" she heard him ask through the phone still in her other hand.

"You saw me, remember?" she pointed out, feeling her nerves increase the further up the building the elevator got, "You better be too…"

Snapping the cell phone shut, Jenny let it fall into her other coat pocket as she let her thoughts return to her little girl, the little girl the entire meeting was for. She could still remember the day she had found out she was pregnant with her… two months after Paris. Jethro was long gone at that point, off with one of the ex-wives she could barely remember, but none of that wasn't important anymore…

She still partly hated herself for the fact that she hadn't told him about Molly until she returned to DC. Of all of her regrets, and she had many, that was the worse one, closely followed by actually leaving him in Paris without nothing more than a 'Dear John' letter in her coat pocket… _a coward's way._

Her weakening heart was beating ridiculously fast as the floor she was destined for got closer and closer. However, she knew how to hide that. One thing an ex-undercover agent was good at was lying and deception, not to say that was always a good thing.

When the glass elevator finally stilled, Jenny's fear reached its maximum point. Any minute now she was going to join company with one of the most vilest criminals she had ever had the misfortune to know about. It actually scared her just how long a monster like him was able to freely walk around in society… and if _he_ could; it meant there were probably others out there too.

Jenny somehow managed to keep herself well composed as the doors opened and introduced her to a room which she suspected covered of the entire top floor of the hotel. The walls which made up the perimeter of the penthouse were mostly made up of large, glass windows, making the view utterly spectacular. Due to it, Jenny could easily see all the slowly activating lights because of the unusually dark afternoon create an almost magical scenery across the gloomy district. With such a beautiful view, it certainly was a shame about the company.

"Champagne?" she heard his voice ask her, his words making her notice a figure standing close to the opposite window pour some into an awaiting glass.

Jenny's eyes automatically tightened as she stepped into the room, allowing the elevator to close behind her. When she saw the thin, lanky man step away from the window and closer to her, Jenny felt herself shudder. He was nothing like the image she had conjured up in her head… and that scared her. She had expected a middle-aged, rough-looking man with greasy hair and dirty skin, one who anyone would look at and just _know_ he was dangerous for children to be near… but he was nothing like that. Instead, he looked well-presently, tall and thin, like a perfect gentleman if she was completely honest. If she had encountered him on the street, she never would have assumed him to be who or what he was. On appearances alone, she would never have suspected him to be someone who could harm her little girl, or any child, in any way possible.

"I'll pass on this one." she replied, coming to stop and refusing to accept the glass he was holding out to her.

"Oh, Director… you offend me." he sighed, his smirk remaining as he took a sip of his own, "And to think, I ordered two bottles… _on ice._"

"Well, aren't you the perfect gentleman?" she sneered, taking a step past him.

It may have looked as though she was glancing towards the district below but in actuality, she made sure he never left her sight by remaining in the corner of her eye. A registered paedophile and known murder was someone she had no intention of turning her back on.

"Beautiful afternoon, don't you agree?" Banks smirked, taking another sip as he stopped at her side to join her looking out of one of the windows.

Shooting him an icy glare, one he smirked at, Director Shepard roughly pulled a door to her left across and stepped out onto the balcony, one which easily shared the same amount of floor space as her office back at NCIS did.

Feeling the cooler air whip across her body, the chill something her fever-ridden skin was glad to feel, the Director sighed deeply just before Banks appeared next to her again. Despite everything, the last thing she wanted to do was appear weak before him.

"Well, let's cut to it." he demanded, "Where's the money you promised me?"

Raising her eyebrow and slowly turning her face to meet his, Jenny allowed her eyes to tighten. Slipping her hand into her pocket, the one containing the heavy, unsealed envelope, Jenny pulled it out before shoving it harshly into his abdomen.

"There!" she cried, "Take the damn stuff!"


	7. Uncovered

**Chapter 7: Uncovered**

The three sets of footsteps made absolutely no sound as the remaining member of the MCRT, Agents Gibbs, McGee and Officer David silently rushed towards the gloomy-looking building with their weapons firmly gripped in their hands.

Gibbs led them into the apartment building, immediately darting up the staircase opposite the front doors.

"McGee?" Gibbs shouted in a whisper, closely followed by the male agent.

"Apartment 101A." McGee answered knowingly.

In mere seconds, the three of them having reached the first floor, Ziva immediately looked at the room number next to the closest door, pointing it out to McGee with a swift movement of her head.

"109." she quietly voiced, "101 must be down the other end."

Gibbs more than likely would have agreed with her if he hadn't already been running down the rather long corridor.

Considering it wasn't really the nice area of town, the building itself was rather well-kept, clearly well looked after by the residents. It was just a shame that they didn't realise what kind of monster lived under the same roof as them.

Ziva and McGee soon saw Gibbs stop at a door up ahead on their right, the two of them using that as a hint to join him as quickly as humanly possible.

On route, a door on the left which was closest to McGee opened.

"What the…?" was all the curious resident was able to mutter before McGee expertly flashed his credentials, his other hand not losing any grip on his gun.

"Federal agents. Go back inside please." he quietly ordered, his voice soft in volume but forceful enough for the person to obey immediately.

Joining Gibbs, Ziva and McGee exchanged a quick glance between each other before silently looking to confirm to themselves they were at room: 101A. Looking back towards their boss, the pair awaited their instructions.

With a swift nod, all three of them tightening the grip on their weapons, McGee simply looked towards the door.

"Federal Agents!" he shouted. _No response._

As expected, Gibbs didn't wait long before silently ordering Ziva to get the door open. His eyes were something he most certainly had a way with. Never before in her life had she met someone who could talk so much without saying a word. Even people in Mossad couldn't communicate with their eyes in the way Gibbs could.

With nothing more than a simple kick of the door, her foot hitting perfectly against the wood to loosen the lock, the three of them burst into the small, dark apartment.

The first task of checking for people was simple with them splitting away from each other. McGee took the bathroom which was the one and only room on the left, Ziva took the one and only room on the right – the bedroom – and Gibbs took the open space kitchen and living area just up ahead.

"Clear!" Gibbs heard both McGee and Ziva state, one after the other.

McGee emerged from the bathroom, slowly joining his boss in the open living area. Still with his gun raised, Gibbs took another look over the empty room, looking for any other possible rooms; rooms which he soon discovered didn't exist.

"Clear." Gibbs also confirmed, his declaration allowing both himself and McGee lower their weapons.

It was only then that the two men began to look around, both of them soon pretty sure that there was nothing of interest in the apartment's kitchen and living area. It was completely bare. There was no food despite the fact they knew Harry's two now-dead suspected accomplices were often in the apartment, no furniture other than one dusty, old sofa and a slightly broken fold-up camping table, and no personal items.

"It doesn't look like anyone's stayed here… _ever._" McGee piped up; something Gibbs silently found himself agreeing with.

Turning slowly on the spot, his eyes viciously examining the room in the hopes of finding anything useful as McGee took a look through the kitchen cupboards, Gibbs soon spotted Ziva pop her head out of the bedroom door.

As the Mossad-liaison officer never usually showed signs of fear anywhere the team went, he soon noticed that her skin looked a little paler than usual. That in itself was enough to make him frown and gradually move closer to her.

"Ziva?" he asked, the concern in his voice soon capturing McGee's attention.

"You, um…" she trailed off, gulping for a moment as though she was trying to stop herself from starting to heave, "I think you need to come and see this, Gibbs."

Glancing towards an equally confused and concerned McGee, Gibbs let his eyebrows crunch up as he slowly followed Ziva who disappeared back into the room. Losing the natural light from the apartment's windows and having to let their eyes adjust to the light in the room, both Gibbs and McGee felt their sight organs widen while their stomachs turned as soon as they saw what Ziva had found. No wonder she looked as though she was about to be sick…

Plastering the walls, some neatly placed in obvious sections and others looking as though they'd been stuck on in a hurry, hundreds of photos greeted them, photos of children. Gibbs felt bile slowly but surely climb up the back of his throat as his eyes examined them. Most of the organised clusters looked like surveillance photos, surveillance photos of too many children for him to make sense of straight away.

Ziva, somehow managing to keep herself calm in a way she didn't think would be possible, soon started to recognise how each photo, or in some cases groups of photos, had a name – more probably a surname – written either on them or nearby.

The first one she recognised was 'Barraclough'; that meant the two children in that surprising small cluster of photos were Romeo Barraclough's children.

"Gibbs." she piped up, not looking around in fear of snapping in anger, "Got Barraclough's two kids over here."

Gibbs nodded to himself, not looking around towards her and instead continuing to look over the photos on his side of the room.

"Yeah, I got Sophie Mulligan over here." he reported.

Meanwhile, while the pair of them continued to look over the photos, McGee noticed the turned on laptop in the corner of the room and made his way over. That was more in his area of expertise and to be honest, anything to stop him looking at the photos he was glad of. Besides, if anywhere, the laptop was probably what had the possibility of containing information which would help them locate Harold Banks.

Sitting down at the desk the laptop was sat on, the one which was still open and plugged into its power source, McGee made sure he was wearing his gloves before simply rubbing his finger on the mouse pad. The screen responded immediately, surprising McGee that the device itself didn't ask him for a password in order to let him have access to the still-open programmes.

The light difference the laptop screen created soon caught Gibbs attention, making the older agent move over to McGee and glance over his shoulder. He may not have been any good with technology but he knew McGee was. If there was anything that could be found out from the device, McGee was the man to find it for him.

"Anything?" Gibbs asked, watching McGee click a button which made all the little square icons listed on the screen change into tiny pictures, ones McGee brought up to full size in a matter of seconds.

Moaning loudly, his disgust evident, Ziva soon stopped looking at the photos on the wall and moved to see what had affected McGee so suddenly. She only got a quick glimpse of a couple of photos before she saw McGee quickly minimise them, not that she blamed him. _They were vile…_

Scrolling down the folder, doing his best not to see the images in fear of throwing up, McGee felt his stomach begin to churn. The only other thing which made him feel _that_ queasy was being stuck on a boat for more than five minutes.

"Boss, there must be at least three thousand images on here…" McGee trailed off, the emotion in his voice raw.

Shuddering, trying to block out the instant memory he had of the images he'd seen before McGee had made them disappear, Gibbs sighed and leant down closer to McGee.

"McGee is there any indication on that thing as to where this bastard is right now?" he queried.

His leg shaking as he quickly typed away, McGee began to look through the other open files on the screen. Whoever had used the computer last had certainly not expected an Law Enforcement Officer to find the device.

"He's still logged into his email account." McGee reported, knowing Gibbs probably had no clue as to what he was seeing. Then again, he would have bet his life that his boss was probably also trying to ignore the memories of the images they had all just come across. The only good thing about them was that they were another piece of evidence which would make sure Banks was put away for life… proving he was caught.

"Anything useful?" Gibbs queried while Ziva moved away and continued to scan the images on the walls. At least they were only surveillance images… her stomach could deal with them.

"Last email sent from this account was yesterday to…" McGee suddenly trailed off, his frown suddenly growing and therefore concerning his boss further.

Gibbs looked between him and the screen. "What is it, McGee?" he questioned.

Gibbs felt a lump begin to grow in his throat as McGee slowly rotated his head to face him.

"Boss…" McGee could barely breathe let alone speak.

"Who's is it, McGee?!" Gibbs demanded to know.

McGee only turned back to look at the screen, Gibbs following his glance where he soon found what it was which had made McGee lose his voice.

Gibbs felt his anxiety levels shoot through the roof. He had had a strange knot forming in his stomach ever since leaving the Navy Yard, and now it was tightening severely.

"Jenny's…" he trailed off, his stomach dropping so sharply he physically felt sick. Never before had the expression 'feeling sick to your stomach' been so apt.

No sooner had the words left his mouth; he swiftly caught sight of Ziva's hair whipping around on his right.

"Gibbs!" she demanded his attention.

Snapping his neck around, McGee doing the same almost in sync with him, Gibbs soon saw _exactly _what it was Ziva had just found.

Feeling the air harshly leave his mouth, his eyes wide as the bile dropped down his throat and anger overpowered any feelings of nausea he may have had, Gibbs felt his eyes glue simultaneously to every photograph on the wall in that particular cluster. _There must have been at least thirty… _

"Molly…" he could barely whisper before his hand automatically found his gun and he looked between the two equally wide-eyed agents, "The bastard's blackmailing Jen!"

McGee rose to his feet immediately, his eyes glued to his boss.

"McGee, get me his location NOW!" Gibbs ordered.

McGee usually would have protested considering there was no obvious or even noticeable way of doing as Gibbs requested, however, he didn't say anything. It was Molly that those photos were of, both of his bosses' daughter. There was no way in hell he could not get Banks' location for Gibbs, not when he could clearly see the said man's anger surfacing at a terrifying speed.

Gibbs then turned to Ziva. "The pair of you get down to Molly's school." he ordered, "You get her and then take her to NCIS. Understand me?"

Ziva nodded. "Completely." she promised, actually thankful the three of them had ended up bringing two cars.

"McGee!" Gibbs demanded.

The younger agent typed quicker than he ever had before; however, it just wasn't working in his favour. No matter what he searched, he couldn't find a location for Banks.

"Boss, there's no cell in his name." McGee confessed, "Not his, not any of his aliases…"

Gibbs shook his head. He knew that would be the case but he had got another idea.

"McGee, stop." he ordered, looking at the younger agent's hands which stilled on the keyboard, "Search for the Director's cell. Give me its last known location."

McGee couldn't understand that particular command but he wasn't going to question it. He could see that Gibbs was in no mood for anything like that, not now he knew Molly was at risk.

"Um… okay. If I track her latest call activity…" he began to mutter.

"McGee!" Gibbs did his best not to scream.

"Sorry, boss." he apologised, tapping away on the keyboard and therefore making boxes pop-up which made Gibbs was glad that people like McGee knew how computers worked. It all seemed far to complicated. "Her last call was received at 'The Marigold Hotel'… just under ten minutes ago."

Gibbs nodded, immediately heading out of the door.

"You two go and get Molly!" he ordered as he disappeared, something the two agents began to do as soon as McGee had unplugged and bagged the laptop.


	8. Fearing the Unknown

**Chapter 8: Fearing the Unknown**

In any other situation, Agent McGee would have been reluctant to let Officer David drive; any sane person would have. However, considering the circumstances, he had no problem in letting her do so. Her driving skills may have been questionable but since they were in a hurry, there was absolutely no point in complaining.

As expected, Agent McGee_ did_ feel a little queasy by the time their car came to a screeching halt outside of Molly's elementary school, but he really didn't care. Molly's safety was more important than the feelings of nausea he had felt for their short journey.

The school itself, one of the most secure elementary schools in the area, was only minutes away from both Gibbs' house and the Director's manor house, not as though that set-up was needed anymore. It had been a long time since the Director had lived in the manor house…

Near enough abandoning the car just outside of the school gates, Ziva not even too sure if she had locked it at first, the pair began to jog up through the gates, both holding up their credentials to allow the security guard on the door to see.

"NCIS." Ziva called on their approach, not wanted to slow down to explain who they were. They didn't have the time to waste.

Opening the door for them, the security guard acknowledged the rushing agents as they ran up the five steps to enter the school's lobby area. Having to come to a stop at the front desk, McGee watched as Ziva looked towards the wide-eyed receptionist looking at them through a glass window, a receptionist who was sporting a power pink sweater and grey, 'used-to-be-white' blouse.

"Ziva David, NCIS." she introduced, holding both her badge and ID close enough for the woman to see, "We're here for Molly Shepard."

The woman's nimble fingers began to lightly tap away at the keyboard, her long face sporting a deep frown about a second after she hit the 'Enter' key.

"There's no child called 'Molly Shepard' in this school I'm afraid." she explained.

"Molly Gibbs." McGee corrected, having remembered that Director Shepard and Gibbs had had Molly's name changed about a year after she had arrived in DC.

"Right, one moment." the receptionist said, her complete lack of haste infuriating both agents.

"We haven't got a moment!" Ziva exclaimed.

The receptionist stopped in her tracks, frustrating Ziva further as she turned her head and attempted to shoot her an intimidating stare. To be honest, it was hard for Ziva not to laugh at it. She had been a receiver of Gibbs' stares for so long now that other people's attempts had absolutely no effect on her.

"Excuse me ma'am, but if you cannot simply wait patiently for a moment then I…" she began to explain in a tone even McGee struggled to deal with. Surely the fact armed Federal Agents were stood before her suggested there was a major problem occurring.

"You're not helping yourself!" Ziva interrupted; her tone harsh.

"Look ma'am, I will not be spoken to in that…"

"Molly Gibbs!" McGee demanded, "Where is she?!"

Ziva rolled her head to look up at McGee, ignoring the blonde-haired receptionist who was futilely trying to make the two agents respect her self-assumed authority.

"Oh, I know where she is." Ziva told him matter-of-factly.

McGee couldn't prevent the scoff leaving his lips. "Then what the hell are we doing this for?!" he queried.

Automatically agreeing with his point, Ziva almost wanted to hit herself for wasting time by doing something there had been no need of. Effortlessly, she made her way over to the frosted-glass, double doors on the left and forcefully pushing them open, McGee on her tail. Breaking out into a run, the pair blatantly ignored the objections from the receptionist who had made her way out of her little office.

"Sir, Ma'am. You can't be in here!" she shouted down the corridor as the pair rushed away from her, "If you don't leave immediately, I will have to call the police."

Rolling his eyes, McGee quickly turned to face her.

"We are the police." he sneered, holding up his badge and pointing it out to her with his other hand.

Turning his head back, popping his credentials back into his pocket, McGee continued to follow Ziva. She clearly knew where she was going.

Ziva had sported a little smile at the way McGee had handled the woman but before she had the time to verbally congratulate him, she had soon reached Molly's classroom and therefore had come to a stop. Soon meeting the female teacher's eye through the window in the top half of the door, the pair smiled softly as she excused herself from the front of the class.

"Hello, can I help you?" she enquired warmly as she softly opened the door.

"Agent McGee and Officer David, NCIS." McGee introduced, the pair showing their ID and badge as he spoke.

"Melissa Paul." she introduced, folding her arms across her chest.

Nodding softly, McGee slipped his credentials back into his pocket.

"We're here for Molly Gibbs." he informed her softly.

"We need to take her with us." Ziva contributed.

The teacher sighed, briefly glancing around towards her chattering class before stepping fully out of the room and closing the door behind her.

"Can I ask why?" the teacher requested.

Ziva released a deep breath. "There is a… _problem_." she stated, trying to find a truthful way of explaining without going into detail, "We need to collect her and take her to NCIS to be placed into protection."

The teacher shuffled on the spot, clearly puzzled by something.

"I-I'm sorry… I can't just let you take her." Melissa confessed, "Not without express permission from her parents."

Ziva rolled her eyes, shaking her head in confusion. "She is in danger." she reiterated.

McGee looked from Ziva as she finished her sentence and back to Miss Paul.

"Ma'am, I understand your concern." he promised, "But we need to keep her safe."

"_I can't _just let you take her." the teacher repeated, "Neither of her parents have contacted us to say its okay."

"Her parents are our bosses at NCIS!" Ziva cried, "Sometimes their jobs can put her in danger. That's why her Dad has ordered us to come and collect her!" she released a loud breath, "And I really don't see your problem… you've _seen me _pick her up before. You know she knows me."

"Yes, Officer David, I do." Miss Paul confirmed, "But you have to understand I have rules to follow."

"And surely you understand _we _have rules to follow too." McGee piped up, "Molly is in danger here. We have to get to NCIS before other children in this school become at risk too."

Miss Paul sighed deeply. "I… I can't…" she muttered.

Without any hesitation, Ziva bent her head down and got exceptionally close to the teacher's head, the movement cutting the woman's words short.

"A registered paedophile and murderer is stalking her with the likely intentions of kidnapping her." Ziva explained coldly in Miss Paul's ear, her voice dangerously low, "If you think I am leaving her here in your care when her father has asked us to come and take her to NCIS, I assure you that you _sadly_ mistaken."

Feeling her eyes widen, Miss Paul forced a gulp down her throat. During that time, Ziva simply reached for the classroom's door handle and opened the door.

Finding Molly in the crowd, Ziva weakly smiled at the little girl.

"Molly, get your things." she instructed, "Come on."

The brown-haired little girl quickly did as requested, shoving all of her things into her purple backpack. Quickly walking down the aisle and reaching the door, she soon noticed the concern on her teacher's face before looking between Ziva and McGee.

"Ziva? McGee?" she asked the two agents, grabbing the hand Ziva had extended out to her, "What's going on? What's happened…? Are Mommy and Daddy okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine, Molly." McGee smiled, silently acknowledging the teacher before he and Ziva began leading the little girl back towards the front entrance.

"Promise?" she nearly begged, forgetting to thank McGee as he took her bag off her and began to carry it.

"Promise." he nodded with a soft smile, a smile she tried to return but honestly couldn't. They were acting too strangely for her to feel happy enough to smile.

"Then why are you picking me up now?" she queried, "Where are we going?"

Ziva leant down and kissed the top of the little girl's head as they walked.

"To NCIS." she answered, "Your Daddy wants us to take you there until he gets back off a case he's working."

Molly's frown was evident. "Well, why couldn't that wait until the end of school?" she wondered, suspecting there was something more than what they were telling her, "What's going on?!"

McGee smiled softly when she turned her head and looked up at him. "You know what your Daddy's like sometimes." he told her, trying to lighten the mood so she wasn't so fearful.

Molly tried to go along with what they were saying but she wasn't stupid. She knew there was something they weren't telling her and even though her parents had told her there were some things in life which she shouldn't ask about – this obviously being one of them – she really couldn't help herself. _She was worried…_

"What aren't you two telling me?" she asked them both, aware the receptionist in the horrible pink sweater was watching the three of them like a hawk, "Where's Mommy? Where's Daddy…? What's happened?"

McGee was about to respond when he suddenly realised he actually couldn't find the words to say.

"Nothing." he repeated yet again, "The case your Daddy's working just…" he trailed off, "You need to come to NCIS with us, Molly."

Molly automatically tightened her grip around Ziva's hand.

"Am I in trouble?" she wondered fearfully, her hair wrapping around her neck as she looked between the two agents.

Leaving the lobby and heading down the steps, McGee and Ziva both shook their heads.

"No." they both said together.

"Of course you're not in trouble, Molly." Ziva smiled softly.

"No, I mean, am I in danger?" Molly reworded, "Is that why you've come to get me?"

McGee sighed, doing his best not to let his own fear look evident. She really wasn't a stupid little girl, nothing was easy to shield her from.

"Let's just get back to NCIS." Ziva suggested, unlocking the car as they reached it, "We'll talk more there, okay?"

* * *

><p>Agent DiNozzo had only been about four cars away from Director Shepard's as soon as he caught up with her pretty soon into her journey. The only reason he had remained <em>that <em>far away was to make sure she didn't spot him following.

He had soon realised where her car was destined for during their journey and somehow, he managed to cut through the back streets of DC and park up in the hotel's car park a good few minutes before the Director herself arrived, making sure he could see the hotel entrance from his position.

He saw the said woman turn up not too long after his arrival, her features clearly paler than usually as she glanced fearfully up at the towering building. _It wasn't like Director Shepard to look so scared…_

Making himself wait a couple of minutes after Jenny disappeared inside the elegant-looking building, Tony sighed roughly to himself. The two minutes couldn't have passed any slower. Forcefully pulling himself out of the car, the door slamming a little harder than he had intended, he took a moment to look around the people-free car park. Rolling back his shoulders, he then subconsciously straightened his black tie while locking up the car, his hands soon running over his concealed credentials and weapon to briefly ease his nerves.

Upon his approach towards the door, Tony could only manage a weak smile as his sign of gratitude to the two men who held the door open for him. He was far too concerned about the Director to even try and hide his fears like he usually did.

Stepping into the elegant lobby, casually looking around at the people in there, DiNozzo couldn't stop the frown that formed when he saw absolutely no sign of the red-haired Director. She'd only walked into the hotel less than two minutes ago… how could she disappear so quickly?

Aware of a sickly feeling instantly begin to bubble low down in his stomach, Tony immediately looked towards the vaguely empty reception on his right. Taking no time in dashing over, his sudden burst of energy making a few passers-by frown in disgust at his behaviour; Tony completely ignored their looks and stopped just before a young woman sat behind the desk. Usually he would have been distracted by her beauty but that was something he couldn't afford to be at that moment.

"Sir…" was all the shocked young woman managed to say before the middle-aged agent interrupted her.

"A lady with red hair came through here less than two minutes ago." he stated matter-of-factly, "Where did she go?"

The young woman began to look around, feeling very uncomfortable at the way he was staring at her. "Sir, I…" she stuttered.

His credentials were flashed immediately; his look silently showing her he was in hurry.

"This is a matter of some urgency." he explained, "Where did she go?"

"Sir, I haven't… I don't know, I'm sorry." the young woman stuttered, her head shaking from side to side as if that was all it was capable of, "I haven't seen any red-haired woman come through here."

Tony tried his best to stop himself from scoffing. "It was less than two minutes ago!" he cried, "I mean, has this lobby even got that busy?!" he queried, turning to look over the vaguely empty grand room and emphasising his speech with his hands.

Stepping forward to end up behind the lost-for-words young woman, an elder gentleman with incredible white hair looked towards the agent.

"Is there a problem here, sir?" he questioned, clearly having heard the entire conversation since he had been so close.

Tony immediately snapped his neck up towards the gentleman, the unsettling feeling intensifying within his stomach.

"Did _you_ see a red-haired woman walk through here?" he questioned automatically, his concern so strong the pair listening to him would have had to have been stupid not to notice.

The gentleman sighed compassionately. "I'm afraid I have no recollection of any red-haired woman within the last five minutes." he confessed, "One certainly didn't come here to the front desk."

Tony roughly shook his head, his heart both dropping in his chest and shooting up to the back of his neck, therefore making him briefly struggle to swallow down a needed gulp of air.

"Let me take a look at your CCTV." he demanded, looking between the pair of wide-eyes employees, "I _need _to know where she is!" he stressed.


	9. Make a Choice

**Chapter 9: Make a Choice**

The CCTV footage, despite the fact it was rapidly showing him a parade of people's movements throughout that day so far in a matter of minutes, just wasn't quick enough for Tony. The longer he didn't know where Director Shepard was, the tighter the knot in his stomach grew.

"Can't you fast forward it to five minutes ago?!" he cried, briefly looking over the lobby every few seconds for any sign of the red-head he was hoping to find.

Leaning against the monitor as he tried his best to speed up the footage, the elderly gentleman, a Mr Frobisher, sighed roughly.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Agent DiNozzo." he assured him.

Tony nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes glued to the screen as the footage from that afternoon began to speed away before his eyes.

"Stop it there!" he suddenly demanded, the familiar red-head appearing on the screen.

The footage paused just as she came to a stop by the large fountain DiNozzo had originally failed to notice.

Tony tapped against her image on the glass screen, briefly glancing towards Frobisher.

"Tap in on her." he ordered, only receiving a confused frown from the man in question.

"I'm sorry?" Frobisher queried; he didn't understand.

Sighing, Tony once again tapped his index finger against the Director's image.

"Follow her." he reworded, "I need to see where she goes."

DiNozzo watched as the normal playback speed resumed, his eyes gluing to Director Shepard's footage. The cameras did switch a couple of times, finally settling on an angle which showed the young agent her face.

It wasn't long before Tony realised she was on the phone. Watching her intensely as she walked away from the entrance, her expression a mix of fear and anger, he couldn't help but notice just how calmly she was speaking to the caller. If her expression was anything to go by, she certainly shouldn't have been sounding calm.

At first, Tony suspected the caller may have been Gibbs but even when he had majorly pissed her off, she was never as cold with him as she was with whoever was on the other end of that particular line. There was still a piece of the puzzle he was missing…

"Oh, where are Abby's lip-reading skills when I need them…?" Tony muttered, doing his best to try and decipher the words leaving the red-head's mouth.

The young woman he had originally spoke to upon his arrival, a Miss Demitra Lombardy, slowly pushed herself closer to him. Clearly something he had said had captured her attention.

"I know how to lip-read." she piped up, easily capturing his attention.

His eyes were wide when he turned to face her. "You do?" he asked eagerly.

She nodded. "My older sister was deaf." she explained, "I picked it up from her."

"Fantastic!" he boomed, turning back to look at the footage of the Director, "What's she saying? Tell me."

Usually Demitra would have protested, a breech of guest privacy being a massive problem with the hotel's protocols. However, the badge hanging off his belt showed her that whatever was going on, it wasn't a typical circumstance. Then again, she could hear it in his voice too… _He was worried. _Whether it was for the woman herself or just in general, she didn't know; she just knew he was worried.

"Um…" Demitra turned to watch the red-head's lips intensely, remembering what she had picked up off her sister all those years ago, "_Mr Banks… I take it you can see me?_" she translated, soon noticing Tony straighten his back while the colour drained from his face, "_The penthouse? How considerate._"

"Oh, hell…" DiNozzo trailed off, the name the Director had said causing the knot in his stomach to tighten to a strength he has previously thought was against human nature.

Sliding around on his heel, quickly meeting the two pairs of eyes belonging to Frobisher and Lombardy, Tony somehow managed to keep his concern in check.

"Where's the penthouse?" he demanded to know.

"Floor 40." Frobisher answered effortlessly.

The pair both gasped as the younger agent sprinted away towards the nearest elevator, his black suit flying rather ungracefully around him as he ran. Ignoring the chorus of protests from the clusters of people he had either come into contact with or just particularly close to, the pair proceeded to exchange a worried look. There was some sort of serious problem going on in their beloved hotel…

* * *

><p>Icy wind continued to whip around her petite little body, something that she subconsciously tried to fix by tightening her coat belt to press the black material closer to her chilled skin. Her hand once again skimmed over the weapon beneath her dress, the cool chill from the metal certainly noticeable against her thigh but thankfully not to him. He was too focused in flicking through the wads of bills the small envelope contained.<p>

By the time he bent his head in order to look up at her, Jenny was having a hard time hiding the smirk which was dying to break out on her lips.

"There's no way there's the $3 million I asked for there!" he spat, harshly throwing the envelope back into her awaiting hands.

His look was cold, his stare ice. This was the other side of him, the real side of him, the side which abused children and killed people with as much ease as she kissed Molly goodnight.

She should have been scared, terrified even, but she wasn't. What had a dying woman got to be scared of?

_Death? _No… that was something she would have had to accept a long time ago. It was something she had to embrace, not fear. After all, it was coming a lot sooner rather than later…

"Yeah." Jenny's smirk broke out at that point, "I could only be bothered finding 5 grand?" she shook her head, her attitude slowly getting under his skin, "Why? Is that not enough?"

Banks took a single glide closer to her, his face mere inches from her own. His look drilled into her painfully quickly but she shrugged it off as if it were nothing. She even giggled, his act of intimidation not working at all in his favour.

"You think this is some sort of game, Director?" he sneered coldly, "You saw my email… _the photos._" his mouth lurked dangerously close to her ear, "You know _exactly _what I'm capable of."

Jenny took a step back, shrugging her shoulders half-heartedly.

"So you don't want this money then?" she held it up, laughing at his stone hard expression, "Suit yourself."

Throwing the open envelope against the wind, watching the exposed money escape the confinement of the white envelope, Jenny sighed triumphantly as the bills began scattering in the air just over the balcony. Like a firework, they exploded against each trail of wind, soon sprinkling like glitter and falling down towards the earth below like soft rain.

"Are you _fucking mental?!_" Banks screamed, dashing towards the edge of the balcony and watching the bills fall away, looking barely any bigger than specs of dust at that point.

Spinning harshly, he actually launched towards her, silently informing her that he was close to snapping. She knew the money itself wasn't a problem; he wasn't after that. He was more concerned by the unwilling attention the action would bring, attention he couldn't afford if he wanted to remain under the radar.

"What kind of fucking game are you playing?!" his hands briefly gripped her hips, something she violently pulled away from before standing her ground before him.

"You were never getting a single dime off me!" she screamed back at him, the pair circling an area of the floor as they spoke, the distance between them remaining even.

"It was never about the money." he sneered, trying again and that time managing to grab her, twist her around and harshly pin her arms against her back.

"I know." she stated, her heel acting nicely as a distraction mechanism when she was able to stab it into his foot. Then it was all about her speed.

She may have not been in the field for a while but her skills kicked in rather quickly, taking her back to the days when Gibbs had taught her all the little tricks of the trade– all the key weak spots of the human body. Never before had that information been so vital, not even back in all those years of undercover missions and typical, shoddy under-the-radar brawls with those who dared to get in the way.

It all happened so quickly, each blow precise and enough to make Banks wonder exactly what he had unlocked from the petite red-head. Had he seriously underestimated his latest target, especially considering he was almost on his knees by the time his skin felt no further assault?. _The woman was a machine._

Snapping his head up, his eyes flashing something lost within the moment of meeting the barrel of her Sig in his face.

She simply cocked her head at him, her silent look asking for him to give her an excuse, _any excuse would do. _

Glaring down the barrel of the gun, as sure as the blood pumping through his veins was his, Banks knew she would have no problem in pulling the trigger. He had to be careful, let her think she was in control; let her think she'd won.

"I see you broke one of our conditions." he rolled his eyes towards the gun and back again.

"I don't know you well enough." she pointed out.

"We made a deal." he reminded her.

Jenny simply lifted and dropped her shoulders. "I don't make _deals _with scum like you." her voice was raw as it spat out each syllable of the sentence.

His eyebrow raised just before his lip lifted one side to create a noticeable smirk.

"You wanna be careful." he warned softly, "You could take someone's eye out with that."

Jenny lightly rolled her eyes. "It's over, Banks." she assured him.

"Oh, believe me." he took a step forward, making Jenny take an equal one back, "It _really _isn't."

"You're gonna pay for what you've done." Jenny promised him, her mixed emotions catching up with her, "Even if it kills me." she stressed, her voice loosing its volume.

Actually laughing before her, Banks took another step forward. "Do you know the things I'm gonna do to her… to your little girl?" he tantalised her, "All those photos of _poor, little Molly Gibbs_ to add to my collection?"

It was at that point where Jenny could no longer keep herself composed, her fear dominating her.

"SHUT UP!" she ordered waving the gun closer towards him, "JUST SHUT UP!"

"Whoa…" he mocked, backing away slightly and raising his hands.

It was just then when a movement of red light caught her eye, only for a second, but enough to capture her attention.

Releasing a shaky breath, cautiously glancing down, Director Shepard felt her heart begin to hammer when she caught sight of a tiny red dot hovering against her chest, easily standing out against her black coat.

"Yeah, Director… I might have broken one of our conditions too." he smirked, "_I didn't know you well enough._"

Feeling her eyes tighten, Jenny kept her gun in place. If she shot him and then got shot herself, it didn't matter. She'd die happy knowing she was taking him with her.

"So, let me tell you what happens now." he ordered, knowing full well all control had slipped away from her and fallen upon him, "You're gonna drop that gun, let me leave and then go home and send me that $3 million within the next 24 hours. If not, your daughter becomes the next child on those photos I sent you."

Jenny felt her jaw tighten as the wind's icy chill was once again beginning to register against her pale skin.

"Also, if any cops come after me, you'll be having a front row seat for my time with your little girl." he assured her, leaning towards her slowly, "And I promise you, I will make her suffer."

One chance, one shot – that was all it took. All she had to do was take one shot and she could guarantee her daughter's safety… but what if she missed, what if he was lucky enough to somehow survive?

She would never have the chance to make sure he was dead since she knew by pulling the trigger on him; she'd be signing her death certificate. By firing at him, she'd ultimately be killing herself. The red dot on her chest proved that.

"So, what's it gonna be, _Director_?" he drew out, "Make a choice… what happens now?"


	10. It Happened Quickly

**Chapter 10: It Happened Quickly**

The elevator ride had been the longest elevator ride Tony DiNozzo had ever experienced and it couldn't have been at a worse time. Watching the floor numbers increase at a gentle pace did absolutely nothing to ease his frantic heartbeat so getting to hear the bell when the journey finally ended was like music to his ears.

Tony wasn't sure what to expect upon arriving at the penthouse, the possibilities his mind had conjured up were endless. If what he found was even a fraction close to any of the possibilities floating around in his head, Gibbs had had a right to be worried.

The elevator doors casually opened, DiNozzo's first priority being to guarantee his weapon was armed, raised and aimed. For all he knew, Banks – who he assumed was the same 'Banks' from the case the MCRT had been working – could be armed and waiting just outside the doors.

He immediately swung out and to the right of the elevator shaft, soon aware the room itself was empty. However, what he saw on the balcony up in front was something which made his heart stop for a moment: Banks and his weeping Director, his weeping Director holding the said man at gunpoint he should have added.

Edging closer, his movements slow to make sure he didn't draw attention and therefore wasn't seen, Tony tried to listen intensely to the muffled one-sided conversation. However, he was damned if he could translate the sounds his ears were picking up into sentences.

He edged closer and closer, slowly and carefully. It was no game, no training drill Gibbs used to subject him to, especially back in the days when Kate was alive. One wrong move could put the Director's life at risk, and that was certainly not any kind of mistake he ever wanted to explain to his boss.

"_What happens now?"_ Tony stopped at the point when he heard Banks say that, still out of sight and yet close enough to the door to hear the rest of the conversation, _"It's your decision."_

Visibly trembling, the cold air not helping her case, the Director slowly began to lower her weapon, soon dropping it to the floor. _He'd won._

"Good girl." Banks patronised, briefly leaning his leg closer in order to kick the weapon away from her.

He was in complete control now.

"Right, now me and you have got some things we need to discuss." he stated matter-of-factly, "Like how we go about fixing this."

Jenny straightened her back lightly, pulling on her coat sleeves as the icy air tried to invade further.

"You made yourself pretty clear before." she pointed out.

Banks nodded, his smirk still evident. "I did, didn't I?" he sighed triumphantly, "And now he's what we're going to do…"

"DIRECTOR!"

Everything which followed in the following few seconds, the utter chaos which erupted on the hotel's penthouse balcony, it happened quickly.

It started with Tony yelling, drawing Banks attention before the quick movements from both the current and ex-NCIS agents completely knocked him off his sense of balance. Somewhere in the mix of it all, somewhere in the mix of Jenny's last fight, the two lost guns scraped across the tiled floor across the floor before a couple of gunshots went off.

Sure he wasn't hit by anything, the gunshots resonating in his ears, Banks barely registered himself be hurled across the balcony, soon registering a tight, cold grip of metal constricting the moment of his wrist. Barely managing to protest, soon realising it was a single handcuff sitting around his wrist; Banks' smugness was soon replaced by an aggressive form of fear, especially when he saw who and what the person handcuffed to the other end of the shackle was doing.

"What the – stop!" he pleaded, his earlier strong front lost in a second.

Meeting his eye, her face almost as red as her hair, Jenny Shepard tightened her stare at him. Stood on the wrong side of the balcony barrier, her feet on the unbelievably thin edge that her heels were actually hanging off, she tightly gripped the barrier with her free hands but made sure she tugged her cuffed hand closer towards her. The fear that made surface on his face was more than enough to show her he knew she was no longer playing any games.

"What are you doing?!" Banks actually screamed. _Maybe he had underestimated her after all…_

Glancing towards Tony, keenly avoiding his eyes, Jenny soon spotted the killer red spot dancing up and down his straight, black tie.

"Call him off!" she demanded of Banks, her order making DiNozzo also notice the spot and therefore drop his gun, "Call your man off!"

"You – stop this – no…" he muttered; his thoughts clear but words jumbled. The fear he was experiencing was like no other he had ever felt.

"Call him off or I fall!" she declared, "_It's your decision._"

"Director…" Tony wanted to step forward but a sharp look she shot at him ordered him not to. She wasn't going to let him, a healthy young man, be killed while attempting to save a dying woman.

"Wait – wait!" Banks begged.

"NOW!" she screamed, feeling herself wobble as she stood there. To be honest, if he wasn't on the other end of the cuffs, she'd have fallen already. His pulling away and desperate attempt to stop himself falling over was the only thing keeping her in place.

"No!" he suddenly shot back, trying to call her bluff, "No. How about I see what happens if your little friend here gets blown apart?!" he gestured towards Tony as he spoke.

Jenny simply shook her head, she had the upper hand. One way or another, the catch-22 situation she was in was going to end with her making sure he was never going to be a threat to anyone else ever.

"Then get ready to fall." she suggested adamantly.

Banks breathing was heavier than before, his pulse even vibrated against the metal of the tight cuff around both of their wrists. _Surely she wasn't serious?!_

"You'd do that for him, would ya?" he tried to challenge her statement– _surely she wasn't going to leave her little girl without a mother…_

"Try me." she dared him.

"Director, please! Stop this!" Tony cried, staying where he was while the red dot continued to show up against his tie, "He-he's not worth it… he's not worth your _life!_"

Jenny shook her head, her tears running freely at that point.

"I don't have a life anymore, Tony…" she confessed, lightly yanking her wrist in order to bring another hint of fear to Banks' face. She wanted to _see_ him suffer before she died.

Turning away from the tense agent, Jenny looked coldly towards Banks.

"Now you!" she demanded his attention, "Call – your man – _off!_"

Finally aware she wasn't kidding, trying to call her bluff certainly not working in his favour, Banks nodded quickly. His anxiety levels were reaching a point beyond human nature.

"Stand down!" he immediately cried, Jenny releasing a deep breath when she saw the red dot on Tony's chest disappear. She didn't really care about the one which had been on her, she was going to die anyway; she just wanted him safe.

Tony immediately went to grab his gun, something which only made Jenny release a broken sob which briefly stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't bother, DiNozzo." those three words making both Tony's and Banks' eyes widen.

Immediately, Banks began to squirm, futilely trying to pull his hand from the cuff. _Impossible. _

"Director, don't!" Tony cried, slowly walking closer in the hope to make her see sense. _Did she even understand what she was implying?!_

"We've got him." Tony pointed out, hoping his declaration would be enough, "Thanks to you, _we've got him!_"

Jenny shook her head rapidly, her teeth visibly sinking into her outer lip as her tears escalated further.

"No." she whispered hoarsely, her assertion making the heartbeats of both of the men nearby increasing, both in a sense of fear.

"You can't… you can't do this!" Banks tried to reason with her, "Think about your little girl– Molly!"

"Director, be reasonable!" Tony pleaded; he was desperate too…

Jenny just shook her head, her sobs more evident.

"Tell… tell Gibbs I'm sorry." she requested of Tony, "And that I love him. I-I should have told him that more often…"

"Director…" Tony barely breathed; he was scared she was too far gone to be talked out of it anymore.

"Think about your daughter for God sake!" Banks tried once more, "What will she do without her mother?"

For the final time, Jenny snapped her neck towards Banks. The look of fear in his eyes was more than enough to keep her happy in her final moments.

"I'm dying anyway." she whispered to him, her declaration making him more frantic than ever to pull at cuffs binding them together, "At least this way I have the pleasure of watching you go with me!" she spat, "I hope this hurts you all the way to hell!"

"No – think about this – stop – don't…" he pleaded.

Jenny took what she knew would be one of her final breaths, sure of what she was about to do. He was a monster, and it was her job as Molly's mother to chase away all and any of the monsters which threatened her.

"And do know what hurts the most?" she broke down emotionally at that point, looking at Banks and hoping he was as scared as she was sorrowful, "I didn't get to say goodbye to her…"

"Then don't do this." Banks suggested, his last rim of hope shattered when she automatically shook her head, meeting Tony's eye for the final time.

"Director…" he spoke softly, more out of acknowledgement than anything else. After all, it was the last thing he was ever going to be able to say to her.

"_I'm sorry." _was all she mouthed before she sharply jerked back, her movement pulling a screaming Banks with her.

"No! No!" Banks cried before feeling his stomach drop completely. _She'd won._

Jenny didn't actually feel herself fall; she didn't even notice the hard surface beneath her feet disappear. The only thing she noticed as she felt Banks pull her arm down with him was the look on DiNozzo's face, one she couldn't see long as she was falling so fast.

For a few moments nothing registered, nothing but the fact she was falling, so fast, so quickly. She could hear the Banks somewhere beneath her, falling along with her. He was shouting, _or screaming_, she couldn't really tell. The icy wind, magnified by the fall, whipped past her, filling her ears with a deafening white noise. However, she wasn't afraid. She was glad the end was in that way and not by prolonged suffering her condition would have caused.

It happened quickly. One moment she was falling and then there was nothing. Just like that, everything ended. One moment she heard Banks shatter and she soon followed… that was when she died.

* * *

><p>If Tony had thought the elevator going up to the penthouse was slow, going down was even worse. For starters, the damn thing seemed to be going at a quarter of the speed and stopping at every other floor, only to be silently requested to continue alone by the awaiting guests.<p>

Upon reaching the lobby, his feet seemed to move themselves, making him dart ridiculously fast towards doors the hotel's staff were trying to usher the formed crowd through. It was one of those strange moments when Tony didn't register any noise other than his footsteps, despite the fact the people he was approaching were clearly making some sort of noise. In all honestly it was as though he was running through a tunnel, everything muffled and confused barring the harsh fact rapidly repeating in his mind: Jenny Shepard's body was what all of the people in the crowd were trying to get a glimpse at.

"Get back." a voice he barely recognised said as he barged through the dramatically overacting group of bystanders, each one of them infuriating him.

_They all had no right to be upset!_

Dropping to his knees, looking over the Director's lifeless body, he was vaguely aware of the young woman he had met earlier – Demitra – softly telling the staff members trying to usher him away that he was allowed to remain where he was.

Trembling as his two fingers made their way to her neck; DiNozzo, confident there would be no heartbeat, felt his eyelids drop when the harsh fact was confirmed. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, Jenny Shepard was dead.

"Oh, Director…" he trailed off.

DiNozzo was soon aware of two presences on both of his sides, both from the two staff members he had become acquainted with not too long beforehand. Neither of them spoke to him, words being too hard to find under the circumstances.

Still trembling, Tony soon began to notice more detailed facts about her demise. Both hers and Banks' were no longer connected by the wrist, her cuff having been harshly scrapped off during the fall. The bruised, broken skin in that area showed that. He had no doubt that a good portion of the bones in her body were shattered but the thing that surprised him the most was the lack of blood neither her nor Banks had shed. If it wasn't for a couple of drops which had come from her nose and rolled down her cheek to the ground, there wouldn't have been any at all.

As she lay there, her dry stare soon began to make Tony's stomach churn. Actually shuddering, he slowly leant closer to her and used his fingertips to roll her eyelids down. She deserved that much of a courtesy after ending her life so abruptly, even if it had been to guarantee the bastard lying to her left had died too.

It took several moments before the chorus of sobs behind him began to move away when the crowds finally retreated inside the hotel. Due to the silence falling upon over the gruesome scene, it wasn't long before the sound of the cell phone lying next to Jenny between her body and Banks' began to sound. Somehow that had managed to survive the killer fall…

Watching intensely as Tony slowly reached for it, his hand tightly gripping around the device as he pulled it towards him, the silent Frobisher and Demitra shared a look.

Flipping the cell phone up to accept the call and then bringing it to his ear, Tony really wasn't sure whose voice he expected to hear. That was probably why he should have checked the caller ID first…

"_Jen? Jenny…?" _Tony felt the lump in his throat briefly constrict the air flow to his lungs, _"Ya there? Jenny?"_

Tony noticeable went white, his teeth briefly chattering before he finally found the willpower to speak.

"It's um… it me, Boss." Tony struggled to bring himself to say, glancing down at the Director in front of him.

"Tony… you okay?" Gibbs asked; the concern in his voice noticeable.

"Um…" he quickly trailed off, rubbing his brow as he thought of what would be best to say, "Boss, exactly how far away are you?"

"About ten minutes." Gibbs answered, Tony soon aware of the sound of Gibbs driving in the background of the call, "Why? Is there a problem?"

Tony rubbed his lips with his free hand.

"Um… _yeah._" his voice broke, "I um… I'm sorry, boss."

_He couldn't help it… he'd broken Rule #6._


	11. After the Fall

**Chapter 11: After the Fall**

Since the arrival of the local emergency services a few minutes beforehand, Agent DiNozzo had had to take a step back from the scene. That was why he was currently sitting on a small wall surrounding a large bed of flowers still pretty close to the area where the two casualties were being dealt with.

He'd given a statement – a convincing, _false _statement, but a statement none the less. To be honest, most of what he had reported was true: Jenny _had_ handcuffed herself to Banks and she _had_ fallen; he'd just neglected to mention that she had fallen by choice. _Officially, _she'd fallen due to a struggle with Banks which had gotten out of hand, _fatally _out of hand.

His eyes were glued to her as the local medical examiner handled her body with extreme care, a medical examiner who was preparing for the two bodies for transport to NCIS in order to be autopsied. Ducky didn't know it yet, Tony certainly didn't want to be the one to tell him, but since Jenny was the Director of NCIS, it was their case to handle, no matter how emotionally difficult it was going to be.

Tony was aware that Demitra was sitting at his side, a needed support he hadn't realised he had needed until she had told him she was going to leave him be. That was the point he'd requested her to stay. He needed someone to help him remain strong before having to explain to his boss what the hell had happened, his boss who he knew was en route.

"So… what happened?" she lightly asked, instantly regretting her ice-breaker as soon as the words had left her mouth, "No! Sorry… sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

Tony simply shook his head, smiling weakly at the horror she had at herself.

"Oh, its okay." he shrugged his shoulders absentmindedly, turning briefly to meet her face, "They just… fell." _What else could he say? _"It was an arrest which went wrong." he reworded, looked down at the concrete spot in front of his shoes, "_Tragically_ wrong…"

Demitra nodded slowly, soon feeling her own heartstrings being tugged on when the agent on her left suddenly released a loud, broken sob.

"Oh God, what's the boss gonna say…?" he muttered to himself, his heart heavy since he knew how close the Director and Gibbs were. _It was going to kill him… _

Demitra did her best to try and think of something to change the subject; something she found impossible since all even _she _could think of was what had just happened.

"So… the pair of you were trying to arrest her and… things got ugly?" she tried to understand, deciding it best to try and get him to talk about it so he didn't keep his emotions bottled up inside.

Tony's head snapped up, his eyes wide and full of water when they met hers.

"No… no!" he frantically shook his head, "He-he wasn't trying to arrest _her_…"

Demitra frowned a little. "He wasn't?" her confusion evident.

Tony shook his head again. "No." he repeated, "No, _she_ was trying to arrest _him…_"

Demitra's eyes soon widened. "Oh…" she realised, "Oh, sorry… I-I'd just assumed that by the way you were looking for her earlier, _she_ was the one you were after_…_"

Tony actually scoffed lightly, nodding softly to himself as his gaze returned to the floor.

"I was…" he trailed off, "I was trying to get to her before she got in way over her head." he sighed deeply, "_Too late…_"

Demitra lightly scratched the back of her hand, completely unsure of what to say.

"I um… I'm really sorry, Agent DiNozzo." she sympathised.

Both seeing and hearing a familiar car pull up as close to the cornered off scene as possible, Tony released a shaky breath. _The following conversation with the newcomer was not one he was looking forward to. _

Slowly pushing himself up by the use of his knuckles, Tony remained stationary as he saw his boss get out of the abandoned black car.

"Yeah." he agreed quietly with Demitra's last statement, his tone barely above a whisper, "Me too."

The first thing Gibbs saw upon stepping out of his vehicle was the EMT zipping up the second body bag, the other one having already been done and awaiting to be taken to the van nearby. He hadn't actually seen who the person was who they were zipping up but by the look of DiNozzo's face as he slowly approached, he had a pretty damn good idea.

"Boss…" Tony barely spoke, coming to a stop only about a car length away from the grey-haired man.

Gibbs wanted to be angry – and he was – but not with DiNozzo, no matter how much he wanted to be. He wanted to be angry so he could physically punish the man over what had happened, but he knew Jenny. Therefore he knew that not everything was what it seemed. Her behaviour earlier that day had been enough to concern his famous gut, enough for him to know that not all of what had happened was something which would be written down in their reports.

"What the hell happened, DiNozzo?" he didn't shout, actually making Tony wish for a moment he had since he looked as through he was about to cry – _and Gibbs __**never **__cried._

Tony shuffled on the spot, struggling for a moment to meet Gibbs' typical stare.

"Do you, um… do you want the official story… _or the truth?_" he sighed, making Gibbs step forward and close the distance between them.

"_Both." _he demanded.

* * *

><p>"134… 135… 136… 137…"<p>

"Abby!" Ziva suddenly snapped, not out of bitterness, more out of amused frustration, "You have been pacing up and down for what seems like forever. Just sit down."

"I can't, Ziva!" she cried, emphasising every word by waving around her hands, "I just… have this weird feeling I can't put my finger on." she confessed, "I don't know; something feels…"

"Hinky?" McGee suggested to the young woman stood before his desk, the one he was sitting at.

"Exactly!" she agreed, pointing to him to further stress her point, "I can… I can feel it in my gut."

"I thought Daddy was the only one who had gut feelings." a little voice from behind Gibbs' desk piped up.

All three of them all turned and met the little brown-haired girl's eye, the little girl who was leaning against the desk and looking curiously up towards Abby.

"Everyone has gut feelings, Molly." McGee pointed out.

"Yeah." Abby agreed in a bit of a mood, "And I'm having one right now."

Looking between the three adults in the squad room with her, Molly was about to return to drawing her picture for her parents when she heard the rear elevator door ding. Immediately her head snapped up, her face soon splitting into a smile when she saw he was coming over to the bullpen.

"Ducky!" she exclaimed, receiving a broad smile from the man en route.

"Ah, Molly." the doctor returned a friendly greeting, "And what is a wee lass like you up to this fine afternoon?"

Molly laughed softly, guiding him to the picture she was drawing on the desk before her.

"I'm drawing a picture for Mommy." she confessed.

"I'm sure she'll love it." he smiled as he came to a stop before the desk, not really being able to make out what it was since it was upside-down.

"I hope so." the little girl confessed, "She always loves my pictures."

Watching the little girl continue with her drawing for a moment, it was long before Ducky began to _feel _the tension being emitted from the young scientist stood behind him. Turning, meeting her face which was rather long, Ducky couldn't stop himself from frowning a little.

"Abby?" he asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

McGee smirked towards the curious Scottish doctor.

"You mean other that her nervous breakdown?" he laughed quietly.

Abby felt her eyes tighten as she quickly shot him a look.

"I'm not having a nervous breakdown…" she protested.

"Abby, you haven't stopped pacing since you got up here." Ziva contributed, "You reached 200 steps before you restarted again back at zero… _twice!_"

"I can't help it…" she confessed, "We haven't heard from Tony _or Gibbs _for ages."

Ziva briefly glanced towards Molly who luckily seemed oblivious to the conversation happening around her.

"Abby…" she pleaded softly. The last thing she wanted to do was concern the little girl more than she already was.

"_Sorry." _she mouthed silently before returning to speaking again, "I just can't shake this… feeling."

Tim McGee sighed, leaning back on his chair as he looked towards her.

"Oh, come on, Abby." he raised his eyebrows, "What's the worse that could have happened?"

All three of them, Tim, Ziva and Ducky, could see that Abby was moments away from spurting out a long list her mind had probably conjured up in the last few minutes, a list containing every possible, and impossible, problem she could think of. However, they were lucky enough to be saved from that by the shrill whistle of Ducky's cell phone going off.

Abby immediately moved into the old doctor's space as soon as the device was in his hand.

"Who is it?" she wanted to know.

Ducky smirked softly, holding the phone up to her.

"Jethro." he answered, capturing everybody's attention, Molly's included.

Abby gasped. "Gimme!" she tried to grab the phone, something Ducky stopped by pulling it away from her.

"Um, no." he shook his head softly, "It's for me."

Turning away from the group, the only person able to see his face being Ziva, Ducky answered the device and put it to his ear.

"Jethro." he greeted.

There was a long silence before he heard the said man respond.

"_Ducky." _

Instantly, Dr. Mallard found himself frowning slightly at the unusual tone of his old friend's voice. He sounded weak, wounded… nothing like usual.

"Jethro…?" Ducky allowed another silence to fall, "I know it's common that _I _am the one to dominate a conversation but…"

It was then that he heard a deep breath fill the line, a noise soon accompanied by a quiet siren in the background of the call. That only confused the old doctor further.

"_Jenny's dead… Ducky." _he announced suddenly, clearly struggling to break the news not only to the doctor but also to himself, _"Jenny's dead."_

"Oh…" Ducky released a large breath, "I-I don't know what to say." he confessed quietly, "I mean, I knew it would happen but I thought it would be months before…"

"_She was in an accident."_ Gibbs interrupted down the line, the fact noticeably making Ducky's eyes widen, _"She fell… forty floors down."_

Ducky slowly turned away from Ziva, hoping to shield the expressions he knew his face would be making.

"Oh, good Lord…" he trailed off, "Is there any indication as to what happened?"

"_**Officially…**__ she was arresting a suspect and there was a struggle in which they both fell." _he explained, his voice struggling to remain unbroken.

Ducky slowly nodded against the phone. "And unofficially?" he enquired.

Gibbs sighed loudly, clearly struggling more than he cared to let on.

"_She um… she handcuffed herself to Banks and voluntarily fell, taking her with him by doing so."_ he confessed.

Ducky couldn't stop the large frown which invaded his brow.

"Why on earth would…?"

"_He was blackmailing her," _Gibbs interrupted for the second time, _"By threatening Molly… Tony said she was adamant that Mol wouldn't be safe while he was still alive… so she made sure she would be."_

Ducky paused for a moment. "Tony?" he soon found himself asking.

"_He's fine… physically." _Gibbs answered, falling silent for a good few moments, _"Look, um… tell the others, will ya, Duck?"_ his voice breaking a little as he spoke, _"They um… they need to know."_

Ducky nodded again. "Of course…"

"_But not Molly… Don't tell Molly."_ Gibbs immediately stated, _"It's… it's my job to tell her…"_

"Of course." understood Ducky, his voice rather quiet, "Is there anything I can do?"

Gibbs once again sighed. _"Both bodies are on their way to NCIS."_ he didn't say anymore, not only because by then he was fighting the urge not to cry, but also because that was the moment when it was Ducky's turn to interrupt.

"Say no more." the doctor stated stated, shuffling slightly so he ended up looking towards Ziva.

For a moment, only silence deafened the pair's conversation.

"_Be… be careful with her, Duck." _Gibbs actually begged after a moment, his pain raw in his voice.

"I will." Ducky promised, "And Jethro… I um…"

"_I know, Ducky."_ Gibbs released a harsh breath, _"I know."_


	12. A Great Loss

**Chapter 12: A Great Loss**

Being a doctor for so many years had meant that Donald Mallard had felt his share of pressure, whether it was due to performing an emergency, life-saving surgery or helping deliver a baby. However, the worst type of pressure was always like the one sat harshly on his shoulders from the moment Gibbs ended their call. He was sure part of him was shaking, mostly because of all the things he had considered about Jennifer's final months had never involved her going quite like the way she ultimately had.

Slowly bringing the phone from his ear and snapping it shut, Dr. Mallard was keenly aware of the stares he was getting from the people in the bullpen around him, Molly included. Turning slightly, clearly forcing his distressed expression to a soft smile so quickly that only Ziva noticed, Ducky raised his head to meet the young woman's concerned eyes.

"Well, I don't about you, Ziva, but I could sure do with a drink." he began, "I'm sure we all could…" he gestured around to the others, "Perhaps yourself and Molly could go and get something for us all?"

Quickly aware of what Ducky was trying to do, Ziva turned to look at the little girl, soon coming face-to-face with a very deep frown on her part.

"Yes, I could do with a drink too." Ziva agreed, pushing herself up off her chair.

The moment Ziva stepped around her desk, Molly noticeably became tense, something Abby seemed to mirror. Luckily the little girl didn't notice that thanks to Tim acting as a needed shield.

"What's going on?" she demanded to know, her attitude reminding the team of her parents when being kept in the dark about something.

"Ducky and I would like a drink," Ziva repeated, "And I'm pretty sure Abby and McGee would like one too… and I can't carry _four._"

"Ziva, I'm not stupid." she insisted, her tone harsher than she had intended to sound.

Ducky sighed, stepping closer to Molly who was currently stood by her father's desk.

"Look, Molly." Ducky requested softly, "This case that your Dad's working– _that we're all working,_ it's a big, _big_ case. Now we've all got a lot of work coming in pretty soon, and I know that it's going to take a very long time for us to complete it, perhaps all night. That's why I'd like a drink now before I have to go down to Autopsy, and I know the others will too…"

"That's all?" Molly sighed, her bold, brown eyes stabbing into the burning pain currently eating away his heart, "Promise me…"

Ducky smiled incredibly softly. It was certainly very weak and definitely false but if her noticeable relaxed face was anything to go by, it was also believable.

"I'll have a cup of tea." he winked at her, the small smile breaking out on his lips only pulling down further on his heart. He didn't want to act like everything was okay… it would only make it harder for her when she learnt the truth.

Nodding her head slightly, Molly cautiously began to move around the desk. She tried, desperately she tried, but she just didn't believe what Ducky had said… and that frightened her. Throughout all of the years she had known him, he had never lied to her before.

Doing her best to keep her doubts hidden, the little girl finally came to a stop before Agent McGee.

"Tim?" she asked softly, "What do you want from the break room? Coffee? Tea?"

McGee did his best to force his thin, tightly-pressed lips to make a soft smile.

"Um, I'll have a coffee." he requested, something Molly just nodded at in acknowledgement.

"And Abby?" she asked after having to peek around McGee's stationary body.

Abby barely shook her head. "I don't want anything." she said rapidly, her eyes glued to Ducky and not daring to even glance down towards the little girl.

A harsh dig of an elbow to her upper arm and a muffled, well-disguised protest of pain swiftly followed before Abby's eyes finally fell upon Molly.

"Or I'll have a coffee…" she quickly decided, her eyes soon returning to Ducky.

Her behaviour silently confirmed to Molly that whatever was going on, they were trying to keep it from her. However, it was in her best interest not to worry. After all, it was entirely possible that the reason was just because the case was something she wasn't allowed to know about. In fact, many of her Dad's cases were like that. However, part of her was unsure whether it was _that_ simple…

"Come on, Molly." Ziva encouraged, "Let's go."

In less that no time at all, doing her best to try and push her concerns aside, Molly grabbed Ziva's hand before they began to leave the area. They both walked pretty quick, moving out of earshot and then sight in a matter of seconds but it just wasn't quick enough for Abby. For her, those seconds couldn't have felt any longer.

Their evacuation of the bullpen seemed to double the tension present in her body with every step taken. She was desperate to know what Ducky had just learnt, despite the fact she had a strong feeling she wouldn't like what he was going to say.

Ducky felt the pressure on his shoulders intensify the moment the little girl disappeared from his sight. Now he had absolutely nothing to delay him further…

Turning slowly, his face long and features defined by his heavy eyes, even McGee could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising. _Something __**very **__bad had happened… _

Both Tim and Abby could barely move by the time Ducky's eyes glanced over theirs. Saying their legs were heavy and therefore unable to move was easily one of the biggest understatements of the year.

"Who?" was all Tim could ask, all he needed to ask. No matter how much he wished, he knew that the answer to his question was not going to be nice.

Ducky simply shook his head, the action making Abby tense. _She had known something was wrong._

"Jenny."

* * *

><p>Despite the fact Tim had been slightly irritated by Abby's pacing not too long beforehand, he would have given absolutely anything to see her doing it again; anything other than her sobbing her heart out would have been acceptable in his eyes.<p>

He had always known Abby had been particularly fond of Director Shepard; they all had, so he wasn't really surprised that the news had hit her hard. Then again, it had hit them both hard. For a few moments, he had just held her, doing his upmost best to calm her down before Ziva and Molly returned.

To be fair, her sobs did die down pretty quickly much to his and Ducky's relief; however, she was still trembling considerable when she finally pushed herself away from his chest.

"Oh… poor Gibbs…" she muttered, her sentiments being shared by both of the men near to her, "_Poor Molly._"

As soon at the words left her mouth, Abby's neck snapped harshly up, her red eyes soon meeting Ducky's heavy ones.

"She-she doesn't even know yet." Abby's voice soon lost the little bit of volume it had left when the painful sting returned to the back of her throat.

Ducky could only shake his head. "I know." he agreed so quietly that it would have been missed if they hadn't seen his lips part as he spoke.

Abby shook her head, her heart burning away in her chest. The poor girl had no idea she was only hours away from receiving what could easily be described as the worst news of her life. It was something Abby could still remember as clear as day after personally loosing her own mother: the pain. Granted, she may not have lost her own mother at such a young age but she knew the type of hole it made in someone's life.

"I, um…" she muttered, trying her best to sort through her jumbled thoughts, "I have to, I have to go."

She tried to move away, almost desperately, but the strong grip appearing around her upper arm prevented her from doing so.

"Abby." Tim barely whispered, their eyes locking as he spoke, "If you leave now, Molly'll know something's wrong."

Through the hardship of not letting herself cry again, Abby actually scoffed as her head shook from side-to-side.

"Tim, if I _stay,_ Molly'll know something's wrong." she countered, shooting him a look which made it clear she wasn't joking.

Feeling his heavy heart go out to her, Tim couldn't find the words to say to help.

"I, I just need to go." she could barely speak, still trembling as her head fell to the ground, "I can't… she can't see me like this…"

Quickly rushing away from the squad room, her arms tightly wrapping around herself as she did so, both Ducky and Tim found themselves sharing a deep sigh as she vanished into the rear elevator.

"Oh, Ducky…" Tim could barely speak louder than a whisper, "I-I… I didn't expect any of this to happen…"

Nodding softly, Ducky slowly turned his head and felt a lump shoot up into his throat the moment his eyes caught sight of two familiar females heading their way.

"Yes, well, its not about to get any easier, Timothy." he stated, making Tim turn and see Molly walking over with a cup of coffee in either hand, Ziva doing the same a few steps behind.

Coming to a stop, clearly a little less concerned than before when she and Ziva had left, the little brunette gently smiled up at Tim.

"Here you go, McGee." she handing him his coffee before glancing around the emptier squad room, "Where… Where's Abby gone?"

Taking a sip of his burning coffee to buy him a moment, McGee scratched behind his ear.

"She um… she had to go down to her lab." he answered, struggling to look the curious little girl in the eye, "Some evidence's has just come in and it needs immediate processing."

"Oh." Molly shrugged her shoulders, "I'll just take her coffee down to her then."

McGee's eyes widened considerably, luckily only being noticed by Ziva who was growing more concerned herself. Clearly whatever was wrong was _serious._

"Um, no… I'll take it." he suddenly stated, swiftly taking the other coffee cup from Molly's hand.

"Whoa…" Molly protested slightly.

"Sorry Molly." Tim apologised, "But you know how stressed she can be when she working under a time limit…"

* * *

><p>He wasn't too sure exactly how long he'd been stood there. Seconds? Minutes? He had absolutely no idea. Time didn't really had a purpose for him, it most certainly wasn't being registered. How could anything make that much logical sense when the woman he– <em>loved <em>was lying on a cold, metal slab underneath the protection of a black plastic body bag?

Subconsciously, he knew when Ducky lifted his head to look at him, he just didn't show any acknowledgement of him doing so. He _couldn't. _

Taking a heavy step forward, his eyes never left the soft bump in the bag defining where her head was. Her beautiful face and gorgeously lush red hair were just two of the many things he would never have the pleasure to see again.

"She was dying, Jethro." Ducky's quiet words cut through the silence of the room and hit him harshly in the gut, "I wish I could say she wasn't, but she was."

Gibbs could only release a broken breath, his eyes not daring to move from the bump in the black plastic. That fact had obviously been the news she intended to deliver personally to him later that night. However, he couldn't deny it, he had known… he had known something had been wrong for a very long time.

"She… she only had a few months left, if that." he continued, aware Gibbs was listening despite the fact he wasn't looking at him, "The pain would have been unbearable to watch her go through, let alone actually experience."

Gibbs barely managed to nod, his hand finding her soft and yet noticeable cold cheek through the plastic covering.

"Why… why didn't she say anything?" his voice was unusually weak and low in volume, "Why didn't she tell _me?_"

Ducky shook his head. "I don't know, Jethro." he sighed, "But what I do know is that she was worried; frantic even. She didn't want Molly, nor you, to see her suffer. Of all the fears, of her all her regrets, that was the thing which scared her the most."

Gibbs released another harsh breath, that one sounding much rougher than the first.

"I-I'd have been there for her, Duck. Every step of the way." he stated, "All she had to do was ask."

Ducky smiled incredibly weakly. "Jethro, you knew Jennifer much better than I." he pointed out, "You knew how stubborn she could be."

Gibbs couldn't find the words to show his agreement, they were stolen by the raw sting which surfaced the moment his hand trailed from Jenny's cheek to her even more noticeably cold forehead.

In order to lose the icy feeling, Gibbs' hands immediate shot to the zip of the bag, griping the metal tightly as if it were his only lifeline left. All he had to do was pull it apart and he could see her again, obviously for the final time, but he would be able to see her as he said goodbye.

For quite a few seconds, his mind continuously debated the idea of pulling on the zip. It was simple, all he had to do was pull – but it wasn't so straightforward…

Ducky could see the pain in Gibbs' aged features. He would easily have bet that his only wish was that Jenny hadn't have taken the fall.

"Jethro, I know it sounds harsh, even cruel." he decided it was best to speak again, "But this was probably the nicest way for her to go… At least this way it was quick."

Gibbs nodded to himself; he had to agree again with what Ducky was saying. At least that way, she had gone quickly and on her own terms – _typical Jenny._

Still gripping the zip to the point where his knuckles were actually turning white, Gibbs was still trying to force himself to do what a tiny portion of his brain was preventing him from accomplishing: opening the zip. Seriously, all he had to do was pull…

'_Don't do it, Jethro… please don't do it…'_

Despite the fact it was in his head, something he desperately wished it weren't, her voice still managed to tightly pull his chest in which only made his heavy heart throb further.

Gibbs' head dropped, the action making it harder for Ducky to watch. He had rarely ever seen him upset and he would certainly have been lying if he said it didn't hurt him. Due to the events of that day, not only had he lost a good friend but now he also had to watch another suffer.

'_Jethro, don't do this… Remember me the way I __**was**__…'_

Noticeably shaking, her voice clear despite the fact he knew she would never speak again, he ultimately turned his head as far to the side as possible. For the first time ever, he didn't care that he was crying in another person's company. After all, it was only Ducky…

'_Jethro, please… I don't want you to see me like that…'_

Instantly, Gibbs' hands dropped, releasing the zip rather harshly. He couldn't do it to himself just like he couldn't do it to her. Jenny deserved to be remembered by the memories they shared, the constant flirtatious looks and conversations, even the methods they shared when it camt to how they raised their daughter… not from an image of her dead, broken body lying on a cold slab before him.

"I'm sorry, Jen…" he muttered, finding her cheek once again and lightly rubbing it, "I'm so sorry…"

Now _he'd_ broken Rule #6.


	13. When It All Ended

**Chapter 13: When It All Ended**

The bullpen was empty, or at least he believed it was; it wasn't as though his brain was registering anything around him. The entire building could have been going through an emergency evacuation or under an armed raid and he wouldn't have realised. The only thing on his mind was what had happened not even an hour beforehand; the only person on his mind was the one who had just ended her life in a rather extreme way.

He could still see everything as clearly as if it were still happening right before him. Her sobs still resonated in his ears, easily drowning out any other sounds possible from the room he was sat in. It actually haunted him… he'd never seen her so broken, so weak…

"Tony!" her voice quickly brought him back to reality.

His head responded by snapping up, his eyes wide when he suddenly met Ziva's. She was gently leaning against the edge of his desk, clearly also upset over the recent change to the team.

"Stop thinking about it." she order him both quietly and softly, "There was nothing more you could have done."

Tony automatically shook his head, allowing his head to drop slightly.

"Of course I could have." he muttered, "I could of…"

"Stop!" she demanded, her voice adamant yet tone still soft, "There is no point in thinking about what could have been. It will only make you feel_ more_ guilty for no good reason."

Her sentence alone caused him to slowly raise his head, his eyes noticeably heavy in the dimly lit squad room.

"And why would I feel guilty?" he asked almost emotionless.

Ziva scoffed mostly to herself, shaking her head as she looked down at him.

"You would not be sat here moping if you didn't." she pointed out, "You couldn't have prevented this, Tony."

"Of co–"

"DiNozzo!" another voice harshly interrupted.

Tony automatically turned his head to the side, soon coming face-to-face with the man who had spoken: McGee.

"Ziva's right." he guaranteed, "Whether we like it or not, these things happen in this line of work. It's a part of the job."

Tony released a harsh breath, his head shaking once again.

"She shouldn't be dead." he simply stated, "It's my fault…"

McGee swiftly slammed his hands against the desk as he stood up, the action making Tony jump in his seat.

"Alright then, DiNozzo. It's your fault." he agreed, his eyes tight as he approached the agent, "So what happened? Why didn't you call for backup? Why didn't you take him out when you had the chance? _Why,_ DiNozzo? Why did _you _let her die?"

His eyes had tightened to a level Ziva had never been before, then again, she didn't blame him. Never before had she seen McGee so brutal, no matter what had happened. In her opinion, Tony had every right to look as angry as he did.

"Damn you, McGee!" Tony near enough exploded, rising to his feet which ultimately made Ziva take a noticeable step back, "I didn't have a chance to breathe let alone think! Besides, there was no indication of any noticeable trouble until I saw the CCTV and then I just ran to her so don't you dare…"

Tony's rage was slowly lost and his voice trailed off the moment he finally saw the expression on the other agent's face. With eyebrows raised as high as possible and literally saying 'Listen to yourself,' McGee simply folded his arms.

DiNozzo felt a large sigh overpower him. "That was a nasty trick, McDevious." he frowned before allowing himself to slump back onto his chair.

"Well doesn't that just prove what Ziva and I have just said?" he enquired, "It wasn't your fault, DiNozzo… and you know it."

Tony sighed yet again, roughly rubbing his aching forehead with his palm.

"I guess, but that doesn't make it any easier, McGee…" he trailed off delicately.

"Tony." Ziva stepped forward, her heart as heavy as his face, "We will all miss, Director Shepard, and although it sounds… _awful, _at least she took Banks with her. Now, Molly will be safe from him."

"Just without her mother…" Tim piped up, receiving an understanding and yet regretful smile for the Mossad-liaison officer.

"Oh, it wouldn't have made much difference…" Tony eyes had glued to a spot on the floor in front of him, staying put until his sentence broke. Then, with confused stares begging shot his way, his neck automatically snapped up and his looked directly towards McGee, "Did you know?"

McGee slowly shook his head, his frown only intensifying. "Know what?" he queried.

"That she was dying…?"

It was Ziva's sudden movement with automatically caught his attention. In the split second it took him to turn to her, her eyes were wide and mouth slightly agape.

"What?!" the volume of her voice was low despite the fact it was sharp.

Tony simply shook his head. "I-I don't know; it's something she said to Banks. I… I don't know whether she was lying just to scare him or anything, but yeah… she said that."

As a brief silence fell across the trio, Ziva couldn't help but share a worried look with McGee.

"Sure-Surely we would have known if she were _dying_." she stated, "Surely Gibbs would have said something to us…"

Tim only lifted his shoulder. "Would he, Ziva?" he challenged her, "Would he really?"

"Where is Gibbs anyway?" Tony asked dryly.

Ziva felt a lump form in her throat as she turned to face him.

"He's gone to tell Molly…" she whispered barely.

Tony again had to rub his brow. "Oh, poor kid…"

* * *

><p>How long had he been stood there? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? To be honest, he hadn't got a clue. If he had even dared to think that standing in Autopsy had seemed like forever, he really had had no idea. There was only a door separating them, the door of what was still Jenny's office in his eyes. All he had to do was pull on the handle and push it open and he'd cross a line he'd never be able to uncross.<p>

She had a right to know, he knew that, but Gibbs just couldn't find it in himself to tell her just yet. Of all things, he didn't want to see her cry. It may have been inevitable but he just had to give her, and himself, just a few more minutes. Perhaps that was why he was still stood outside the door in the dimly lit corridor.

Finally giving in, his hand hesitating for the final time, Gibbs pulled down on the door handle and took a step inside the eerie office. Too much of Jenny remained in there, part referring to the little brunette sitting at the desk.

Lifting her head when he entered, Gibbs soon spotted the grin beaming off the little girl's lips the moment she saw him. _That wasn't going to last long…_

"Daddy." she smiled, dropping the pen she had been drawing with moments beforehand, "Abby said you'd be working as soon as you got back… you don't usually come say hello straight away…"

His smile as soft as his footsteps, Gibbs slowly made his way over to the confused little girl.

"Am I not allowed to see my baby girl?" he sighed, his tender voice and weak smile soon noticed by Molly.

Molly automatically sat up a little straighter, her smile soon being lost.

"You and Mommy only call me 'baby girl' when there's a problem." she pointed out, watching keenly as he approached, "Like that time when she told me you'd been in that explosion."

Feeling his heart actually drop, Gibbs had to look away for a moment. He knew it was never going to be easy but seeing the way her face had gone white was already pushing the limit on how much he could handle. No parent ever wanted to see their children upset…

"C'mere, Mol." he requested softly, gesturing for her to join him on the sofa he had just sat down on.

Molly clearly hesitated, momentarily reminding him of her mother. Trying to ignore the tight constriction of air reaching his lungs, Gibbs just repeated his soft gesture to her. He daren't talk until she was by his side; if he spoke any louder than a whisper, he'd break…

"What's happened?" Molly softly demanded, yet another hint of Jenny surfacing in the little girl.

"Mol…" was all Gibbs was able to muster before he let his eyes do the rest.

Unlike the rest of the team, Molly had never been a receiver of what she knew DiNozzo had dubbed as the 'Gibbs stare' but she still knew of the power of his eyes, a power where in a bitter silence, he could still communicate with a simple look. Many times she had seen him look at her Mom and they'd automatically seem to speak without so much as a word, but the look in his eyes at that moment, it was unlike any she had ever seen. To be honest, it frightened her. He was her big, strong, no-mess-with Dad and yet he looked almost as fragile as a child… that wasn't right.

Almost snail-crawling around the desk, actually afraid to move too fast, Molly could feel the muscles in her shoulders tighten.

"Daddy?" she asked breathlessly, air unable to enter her lungs as her breath was tightly held.

Molly's painful suspicions that something was seriously wrong were only confirmed the moment he lifted her off the ground and sat her down only his lap. Immediately shifting to face him, she couldn't actually stop her one foot from shaking.

Gibbs struggled to find the right words to say. How did he explain to a seven year old that her mother was never coming back sensitively and yet in a way she'd understand?

"Mol, there's um… there's been an accident." he finally decided to explain.

Molly immediately went tense, her back rigid despite the fact Gibbs did his best to comfort her. She had always known there could be a risk to the team she considered her family but as naïve as she was, she never believed anything could ever happen to them. No matter what, her Dad's team always made it through.

"Who's… who's been hurt?" she asked quietly, trying her best not to imagine any of the agents she knew suffering in any way, shape or form.

Gibbs released a long, broken sigh, giving him a moment to find the courage to speak. Was how he was feeling the same way Mike Franks felt informing him about Shannon and Kelly's deaths?

"M-Mommy." he somehow brought himself to say, "But Mol…"

"Is she at the hospital?" the little girl unintentionally interrupted, her breathing erratic as she tried to keep futilely calm.

"Molly, please…" Gibbs tried to quieten her down, his plea ultimately informing the little girl there was something more than what she knew, "Mommy… Mommy's not at the hospital."

"But-But she's been in an accident…" she trailed off, opening beginning to cry at that point.

Gibbs managed to shake his head, miraculously keeping his own emotions in check despite the fact his heart was being shattered as the seconds passed.

"Molly, she… she was too hurt to get better." he explained lightly.

Physically trembling, it was long before Molly's crying escalated into intense sobbing. The only thing else she could do for a few moments was shake her head.

"Is… is she dead?" Molly could only mutter, "Tell me… tell me she's not…"

Gibbs tightened his embrace of around the little girl, silently answering her question. He didn't want her to be upset but he knew she had every right to be. She'd just lost her mother, the only person who had ever been her constant. Jenny had been her safety net, and now she'd lost it.

"Everything'll be okay, Mol." he swore, "I promise you it all be okay…"

Gibbs knew it would be hard but he also knew they'd make it. Life didn't always have a happy ending but he knew at least that way, Jenny hadn't suffered as much as she would have.

He would miss her; that much was true, but from that moment on, Molly was his main concern. He knew from experience that the first year after a loss was always the hardest and he was going to the best he could to help her through it. He would never let her forget Jenny, the mother who had sacrificed her life to keep her safe, and one day he may even tell her what her mother did for her, the love she had for her, but he was going to take it one day at a time. Eventually, they'd be able to move on… _together._

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you all for your continued support and I hope you enjoyed reading, despite it being a rather depressing read. <strong>

**Thanks for sticking by me :)**


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